WIN!"
A ROLAND MIDI
__ PICVIEW
e ‘7 £) an appointments alarm with a difference! @ 11/850 ST turbocharge your ST with this ace demo
I ! Whether you use MIDI or not, this complete package allows you to compose music, create drum patterns and will even help you to write the lyrics! DR TIRICC’s comprehensive speech function will also hold conversations with you and even rap! Without doubt the most original and entertaining package ever! Amazing!
ISLAT: TEXCLUSWWE FUT GATES
TIPS PAGES
ERS
BUDGET BUYS, ON Heat
770965'7780 |
09
van) N tas
—eeEaSs=——_—_—_—
—'— MAKE MUSIC WITH DR TIRICC ISLAND HOPPING COMPLETE GAME! MIDI MUSIC SECTION ST TUNE-UP PD PROGRAMS PLUS MUCH MORE!
The Godfather™
A computer adventure which
captures the very essence of the
Godfather trilogy,
where Domination, Power,
Wealth and Justice are all part
of the game plan.
° Di yet sound effects.
* Full colour bitmaps allowing stunning detail and realism.
* Unique graphic interaction sequences. |
Available on: Atari ST, Amiga |
and PC (VGA only)
TM and © 1991 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.
The GODFATHER is a trademark of Paramount Pictures. U.S. Gold authorised user.
— G-Loc™ | Ce > At the controls of an | =. “experimental super | AV ‘paste you plunge | Pu headfirst into the k | unknown lags. /| territory. Fast an \eAy \\) frantic G-Loc takes LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS BY G-FORCE i you to the i - edge! 1s) HK It ik - i — _— 4 > Mee ‘ age le saga — the ———— 5 ~ ate of Atlantis Action Game ¢ 36 missions and three ‘player F ~ Nazi Germany has rediscovered the Lost Kingdom lectable' mod a = J of Atlantis, and with it the formula to selectable’ modes. < ' ¢ Armed with impressive lazers and a missile e produce the ultimate bomb. guidance system. Only one obstacle stands in their way - Indy! Available on: C64 & Amstrad | | = } ¢ 9 lavishly detailed action packed locations. cassette & disc, esithe * Dazzling 3D isometric world - click from cassette, Atari ST and Amiga | 7 one camera angle 6 the iaxt: © ee —: All bea Poy ea ¢ Awesome animation, serie: reserved, G-LOC™ is a tradema a ts. of SEGA ENTERPRISES —_* ¥ f ee 7
< ‘ wi Indiana Jones™ and ] the Fate of Atlantis
© 1992 LucasArts Entertainment
Company.
All rights reserved. Indiana Jones and Indy are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd.
Software 2000’s The Manager The definitive football management simulation featuring all clubs in
the 1991-1992 top 3 2 league divisions. he —— EN aN \
¢ Select your feam and choose from a I year, 3 year or unlimited game. ° 3D doen sequences watch highlights of your team in action. ¢ Manage your money as well as a team.
Available on: |
: Atari ST, phi = and PC (VGA only) | © 1992 Software (Py 2000. All rights |
reserved,
Available on: Amstrad & C64 cassette & disc, Spectrum cassette, Atari ST, Amiga & PC and compatibles.
A SERIOUS EXPERIENCE!
aa | ¥ee 22 & | : U.S. Gold Ltd., Units 2/3, Holford Way, ia Ne T= 4 Holford, Birmingham B6 7AX. aed yy : \ a Tel: 021-625 3366.
NEED HELP? CALL THE
“2 GOLD PHONE
HINTS & TIPS LINE
LEGEND OF DARKMOON (EYE OF THE BEHOLDER Il) * SHADOW SORCERER TEL: 0839 654 139 HILLSFAR * DRAGONS OF FLAME + HEROES OF THE LANCE TEL: 0891 442 025 CURSE OF THE AZURE BONDS + POOL OF RADIANCE * CHAMPIONS OF KRYNN TEL: 0891 442 026 BUCK ROGERS + SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES + EYE OF THE BEHOLDER TEL: 0891 442 030 OPERATION STEALTH * ANOTHER WORLD + CRUISE FOR A CORPSE TEL: 0839 654 284 LUCASFILM HELPLINE + LE CHUCKS REVENGE (MONKEY ISLAND A U ae eer
NEW RELEASES » COMPETITION TEL: 0839 654124 COMPETITION - £200.00 WORTH* OF U.S. GOLD GAMES TO BE WON EACH MONTH. - ar Retail Prices if you are under 1 ee et Ee cen ete een eee
The 9-pin is dead, long live the 9-Pin! With the advent of bubble printers, manufactur-
ers are moving away from 9-pin printers which means lower prices for the old, entry level machines. We test the best and find which are the real bargain buys.
STS REV TEV SESS UE <4 AU GUS Tat 99:2
Editor: Garth Sumpter
Production Editor: Heather Turley Technical Editor: Vic Lennard Technical Writer: Tony Kaye
Editorial Assistant: Molly Maitheson Art Editor: Gordon Barrick
Designer: Fiona Bourne
VFM Editor: Paul Rand
Cover Photography: Eddy Parks Picture Scanning: Becky Willis Contributors:
Andrew Wright, John Mallinson, Paul Rand, Steve Merrett, Tony Dillon, Terry Freedman, Alan Dykes, Colin Bruce, Steve Murgan, Ofir Gil.
Managing Editor; Steve James Advertising Manager: Tom Glenister Senior Sales Exec: Michelle Gardiner Sales Executive: Karen Neill Production Assistant: Remzi Salih Classified Production Manager: Esther Rodd
Marketing Manager:
Marc Swallow
Marketing Exec: Sarah Hillard Publisher: Garry Williams
30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU.
Advertising and Editorial Tel: 071 972 6700 Fax: 071 9726701
Distribution
BBC Frontline Ltd,
Park House, Park Road, Peterborough PE1 2TR. Tel: 0733 555161.
Subscriptions: PO Box 500, Leicester LE99 OAA, Tel: 0858 410510
Back issues; PO Box 500 Leicester LE9S OAA. Tel: 0733 898100
ON THIS MONTH'S COVERDISKS
OVER £100 WORTH OF REALLY USEFUL SOFTWARE
Two coverdisks, two commercial products this month with the fully useable, HiSoft BASIC on the main disk. This package is available in the shops for £59.95 but is here in its entirety on disk.
AND FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
Time Desk fun Lyrics Music 8
vaate Wd
the Y 2 ivories : fore ‘| with <<
Special
the amaz- ing Dr. Tiricc. This program will help you to compose your own songs on the ST and even has drum patterns and will help you write the lyrics and using its built-in speech, Rap along to the words...
BUT NO, THERE'S YET MORE...
A host of useful utilities to make life with your ST even easier...
UNPACKING THE DISKS
Starting on page 20, we show you how to use the disks — getting the most out of them with Step-by-Step guides that explain just how to do it.
FEATURES
36 DOT MATRIX PRINTER COMPARISON
9-Pin dot matrix printers are now bowing to the superiority of the bubble jets so there’s never been a better time to buy...
55 WIN A COLOUR PRINTER
Your chance to enter the high-tech world of colour printing with a Star LC-200 up for grabs in this simple competition.
57 POCKET MODEMS
Being able to communicate with other STs using a modem is useful. Once you shrink the size of the modem, it becomes almost invaluable...
62 DELUXE PAINT TUTORIAL
Get the most out of Electronic Arts’ ST standard graphics package with this easy to follow tutorial.
78 WIN FIVE DAYS AT A BELGIAN SPACE CAMP
An all-expenses paid trip to Belgium for two to train as astronauts and finally get into the cockpit of a fully-blown Space Shuttle simulator.
115 ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Everyone uses a mouse for their ST - or do they? We look at the advantages of Trackballs and come up with some controversial results.
120 SCREEN SPEED KINGS
Software screen accelerators make various claims about their speed. We devise our own, comprehensive speed test and then put them al! through their paces to see if their original figures were misleading.
REGULARS
6 NEWS
The annual trade show of the A.P.R.S. saw the ST widely on display as the choice of professionals. ST Review was there to catch the mood
14 FIRST IMPRESSIONS
We take the first look at Domark’s 3D Construction Kit II, Core’s Chuck Rock I, Beast Master and Empire’s heralded tank epic, Campaign.
20 COVERDISKS
Write your own programs and compose your own music! Two, complete and professional packages put the power to create in your own hands! There are also a host of useful utilities to use with your favourite programs.
34 SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOURTH GREAT MONTH!
Get the biggest and best ST magazine pushed
through your door every month, without you UPGRADE YOUR 520 BY
ever having to walk to the papershop.
67 SCREEN SCENE wih dst coho What are the latest and greatest games on STARTING AT THE release this month? Our team of hardened RIDICULOUSLY LOW pros do battle with the best... PRICE OF £1 5.50, hs ete Pacific Islands and part two INCLUDING POSTAGE of the Shadowlands, tips plus lots of others. AND PACKAGING. YOU 128 PD ZONE WON'T FIND A BETTER In the PD Zone this month we spotlight graph- OFFER ANYWHERE! Word Processor ora DTP package Alco MLL MUU
there’s the latest games, and utilities. DETAILS NOW!
SAA M SALAMAIAAMAIAEAEA 4S,
RRR EER LER ERA LE RE RRR ARERR EKA
eagrrr ‘
881 F Melade Intro
SCREENSCENE
The best and the rest - al] reviewed and rated
ADDAMS FAMILY 68 GOBLIIINS 71 SPORTS BEST 72 SHUTTLE 74 EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMP 82 INT. SPORTS CHALLENGE 84 GAMES TIPS 84 BUDGET GAMES 90
ST BUYER
The ‘Blues’ are the pages where real ST enthusiasts can really get to grips with their machine...
BOOST YOUR ST 124 KAOSDESK V NEODESK 119 BOOST YOUR ST 120 PD ZONE 128 STAC TUTORIAL 136 TIMEWORKS 2 TUTORIAL 138 COMMS 142 ASK THE EXPERTS 145 LETTERS 149 CHARTS 152 IN PLAIN ENGLISH 153
OPINION 154
This year’s APRS Music Show saw the ST clearly in view. Report and pictures by Vic Lennard
ATARI FOR THE PROFESSIONALS
Plasmec Systems make an_ affordable (by professional stan- dards) direct-to-disk recording systems for <
oe
name of ADAS, it gets around the inherent ; lack of power of the ST's processor by using an_ on-board
Screenshot of Plasmec’s ADAS direct-to-disk system.
one. The basic system allows you to record two tracks (stereo) of audio direct to a hard disk and then manipulate that record- ing in various ways. You could record a pop song, cut it into its The APRS Show is a trade show aimed at high-end profession- various sections - intro, verse, chorus and so on - and put it
al users of music, and the ST was to be clearly seen on more back together in a different order. Version 1.5 was being than 10 stands. demonstrated at the show, which certainly puts into doubt all
of the various comments regarding the current demise of the ST.
Prices start at £599; more information from Plasmec Sys- tems Ltd on 0252 721236.
FriendChip launched the K..AT, a small remote controller for the ST last year . This year they added the DC K..AT, a large Desktop Controller Key- board with sufficient buttons to allow for the control of up to 35 functions on an ST. This is made possible by using key equivalents. For instance, Control M might carry out a certain process within a program; by assigning these key presses to a button on the DC K..AT, the latter can access the same function. In the middle of the DC K..AT is a large rotary wheel which can act as the on-screen cursor, while the two but- tons directly above it will work as the left and right mouse buttons. Price
is £290; information from Q-Logic on 0796 472001. Other companies were using the
Friend- ST to demonstrate the computer anip's:DC control capabilities of audio mix K..AT, a . fete
new ers. Soundtracs was using the
desktop ’ MIDI Manager page of Cubase to
controller handle the levels and stereo
for the panning of its EX-10M mixer ST.
while Allen & Heath used it to demonstrate the MIDI muting on its GS-3 mixing desk, the latter having been set up by one of ST Review's contributors, Ofir Gal. Also using a custom Steinberg desk automation program was Soundcraft with its Spirit Auto desk.
Even companies at the top of the tree appreciate the availabili-
Previewed at the show, for the first time in Britain, was the Yamaha CBX-D65, a four-track direct-to-disk recorder. Yamaha, renowned for its MIDI synthesisers and sound modules, is branching into affordable digi- tal recording for the first time. What does this have to do with the Atari ST? Rather than have to concern themselves with the visual editing side for the CBX-D5, Yamaha has left that to various software companies, one of which is Steinberg. Its Cubase Audio program is an extension of the excel- lent Cubase sequencer and allows you to treat digital audio on-screen like just another sequencer track. Prices are yet to be announced; more information from Yamaha on 0908 366700 and Harman Audio on 0753 576911. Right: The Yamaha CBX-D5 digital audio system with Stein- berg’s Cubase Audio.
Below: Screenshot from Cubase Audio.
> File
Edit Structure Functions Options Audio Modules Windows ARRANGE — GLOW.ARR louenti ze 16
| e a ie lalelel sees cBx DS | BASSDRUR Function BShow Is ~ j|Active Part
os “a ‘ ist 1% 5 ty is
ire L3 @cusi Air |
ty and extensive use of the ST. The EX-10M Amek, one of the UK’s foremost mixer from mixing desk manufacturers, was Soundtracs,
controlled by
; Cubase on the on the ST to control various ST
aspects of their latest desk called the Big by Langley (which was named after the head of Amek‘s research and development department).
using a custom-written program
Everyone needs to be certain that the magazine that they buy is the right one for their needs and that it answers all the questions they have. This month, we’re making sure that this need is fulfilled and we’re looking to involve almost everybody in aspects of the ST that they may not yet
have discovered.
On the cover disks we have two complete commercial packages that will appeal to everyone. Firstly, we have HiSoft BASIC, which is without doubt both the most profes- sional and the easiest to use programming language available on the ST. Coupled with the Step-By-Step guides that will be appearing over the next few months, this means that everyone who’s ever wanted to learn to program now has the perfect opportunity.
Secondly, the amazing Dr Tiricc package on disk two gives everyone, with or without a MIDI setup, the chance to com- pose music on their ST. Inside the magazine, meanwhile, the music plays on with our new MIDI Monthly section, which begins on page 105, whilst those of you wanting to turbocharge your ST will find just what you're looking for in our Tune Up series (page 124) and our rundown of soft- ware accelerators on page 120. And for getting around the ST’s screen a little quicker, why not try out a trackball? We did, and the results are all on page 115.
Add to all this our extensive coverage of Public Domain software, with a round-up of all the latest utilities, includ- ing a long, hard look at the best in Public Domain picture convertors and snappers, our great games coverage, and the fact that our Reader Offers are constantly expanding to give you the lowest prices available anywhere on all man- ner of hardware and software, you're then Jeft with what we believe to be the biggest, most value-packed ST Maga- zine anywhere.
Garth Sumpter, Editor.
Close- up of the ST’s monitor showing MibDi Manager screen work- ing.
Allen & Heath's GS3 mixing desk Close up of Cubase running the Close-up using Steinberg Cubase onthe ST. MIDI muting on the GS3. shot of —— the ; : , control program r for Amek’s ae Langley < : ~ , mixing e console.
KNIGHTMARE WINS AWARD
The Golden Chalice Award for Best Adventure Game 1991/2 has gone to Mindscape for Knightmare. The Adventure and Strategy Club in Lon- don held a poll among its members who judged it best game overall. Based on the ITV show, Knightmare is a creative role-playing adventure in which you are challenged to solve complex puzzles, logic problems and riddles. The game was written by Tony Crowther using the same game system that made Captive the adventure game of 1990.
If you're having troubles with Knightmare, a hints book is now
available to dig you out of that dun- Tony Crowther, creator of Knightmare and Captive.
geon...
David White, the Manchester City forward, paid a visit to Rage Software in Liverpool recently. He was there to try out their new soccer simulation, Striker to the test. David, who scored 21 first division goals last season said: “ I've tried a fair few sports simulations, but this is the most realis- tic. Once you've scored an overhead kick, you're hooked!”....
Discussions are currently under way to investigate the possibility of bringing a ver- sion of the Chicago Consumer Electronics Show to the UK. The show is likely to take place towards the end of 1993, and will cover all aspects of home entertain- ment including computers, television, audio, video, radio and games consoles.
Some of the exhibitors ear- marked for the show include Atari, Commodore, Acorn, Sony, JVC, British Telecom, Dixons and many others. lt is being planned by Rupert Mur- doch's News International.
The Chicago show takes place annually in July and is a focal point for the industry.
demonstrated
Multi-TOS will
dard with all
the States.
Two new games are in the offing from Mindscape — BattleToads and D/Generation.
Expect D/Generation to be in the shops soon. A secret experiment is out of control at Genoq Biomedical Labs. The building is in chaos, the internal security system is terminating the workers and a new, terrifying life form has turned against its creators. .
And according to the sales hype, those battling toads are mean, green and “they make Turtles look like pond scum!". We'll tell you more about this eagerly-awaited game as soon as it hops into the office.
Recent action taken by the Feder- ation Against Software Theft (FAST) highlights the current crackdown on computer piracy. Derek Kennedy, 27, who was con- victed in June of over 3,000 cases of disk copying and dis- tributing, has now been sentenced to 180 hours of com- munity service and a fine of £200.
Tougher steps are being taken to eradicate software piracy which, claims FAST, is costing the industry millions of pounds each year in loss of revenue from their products.
If you know of someone who is pirating software, you can con- tact FAST on 0628 660377 with the details.
REVEALED
Atari's new operating system had its debut at the recent ACE ‘92 show in Toronto, Canada. It was by Atari’s Bill showed the multi-tasking capabilities of the machine using GEM, TOS and TTP programs. A combination of hardware and software, Multi-TOS will allow configuration to the user's specific needs, and it’s intelligent enough to spot how much processor time is being used for applications and make more time available if it’s not being used. The new Mega STE and TT machines have in-built protection that will allow a program to crash without losing the other programs co-run- ning. As this is a feature of the 68030 processor, this luxury will not be afforded to the ST/FM/E range, but should be seen on the new Falcon 030.
Rehbock, who
be available as an upgrade for existing machines and will be supplied as stan- new machines soon. application should be almost as fast as existing
Speed of
TOS, as the multi-tasking uses mainly unused pro- cessor time. Expect to see the new 7OS early in the new year, following an expected winter release in
Weird. No sooner had ST Review launched Virgin's new Shuttle game into Essential Buy status than we were told that it has plummeted in price — and it’s now down to £30.99. Check out the review of this mighty new game on page 74 this issue and our competition on page 78.
3 IN THE GREAT BONANZA GIVEAWAY oe,
JUST WHO ARE THESE GUYS?
Mobo and Robo are the coolest villains you'll ever meet. They rob banks, museums - and innocent computer gamers of their sanity. They're on a mission and they're coming soon...... Rave with the Brothers and share in the Bonanza! AVAILABLE ON: Amstrad, CBM 64/128 cassette & disk,
«\ Spectrum cassette, Atari ST & Amiga.
St
SHARE IN THE EXCITING BONANZA GIVEAWAY!!!
To get a share of this
limited edition Get upto £3.00 off yee sobsited Kx smash hitsseee ARCADE HITS — HURRY to your 4 when you buy a copy MARKETED BY ak eunagrd peici €: of the Great = oS See eS : sgt nt ee es oe 2 WHILE STOCKS LAST!!!
Arcade Game! ES . Ee. eS 2 a, EES 2 GREG SBE. “Offer does not apply to CBM 64/128 disk or Amstrad disk. *See inside special offer packs for more details. Offer ends 30.11.92.
LEGEND OF DARKMOON (EYE OF THE BEHOLDER Il) « SHADOW SORCERER OPERATION STEALTH * ANOTHER WORLD + CRUISE FOR A CORPSE TEL: 0839 654 139 NEED HELP? CALL THE TEL: 0839 654 284
HILLSFAR * DRAGONS OF FLAME * HEROES OF THE LANCE G0 LD PHON E —— poem oe be idence gel td 2)
= TEL: 0891 442 025 * INDIANA . : IAC MAN N° (po © CURSE OF THE AZURE BONDS * POOL OF RADIANCE a ans ss aca a
+ CHAMPIONS OF KRYNN TEL: 0891 442 026 HINTS & TIPS LINE INFORMATION LINE:
BUCK ROGERS * SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES * EYE OF THE BEHOLDER ©
TEL: 0891 442 030 0839-654124 Service provided by U.S. GOLD LTD., UNITS 2/3, HOLFORD WAY, HOLFORD, BIRMINGHAM B6 7AX. M wees ere under 18 alence net marmiccian tn ce the telenhane Calic cach 24m ner mime cham rete £8— mer eicusie oll ethos temee
10
French software house Loriciel is looking into legal action after dis- covering that one of its titles was being distributed through an American PD library. The game, Baby Jo in “Coming Home”, was supplied to a leading UK library through an advert in an American magazine, and was sent complete with the US company’s label.
A spokesman for Loriciel said: “We are consulting French and American lawyers to see what action we can take. We are grate- ful to everyone concerned for bringing this to our attention”.
Five new printers - from low cost colour models to ecologically sound laser printers, there’s some- thing here for everyone...
Kyocera is in the frame with two new printers at the business end of the market. The FS-850 laser printer has a speed of eight pages per minute at under £1600. Also from Kyocera comes the new FS-1500, which it’s claimed is the world’s first “green” printer. It has unmea- surably low ozone emissions and even the toner cartridge is made of calp, a plastic that burns without giving off toxic fumes!
Meanwhile, Star have announced a replace- ment for the LC24-10. The LC24-20 is their new entry level 24-pin dot matrix printer, with 10 LO fonts and a speed of 210 characters per second (high speed draft) and 64cps (Letter Quality). At £259 plus VAT, it’s priced to end up on the home user's desks.
Postscript however has always been very expensive — but now Samsung have shaved about £400 off the usual price with their £1499 8 PPM SL-1081P! Light. A good buy for any- one needing Postscript compatibility, it also comes with 2.5MB RAM, a 15MHz processor and 35 resi- dent PS fonts.
Finally, there’s the low-cost Fujitsu B100 lightweight bubble inkjet printer with a price tag of £349. These latest competitors in the printer market will be reviewed in a later issue of ST Review.
Fujitsu’s entry into mini printers market.
The FS-850 from Kyocera.
BASED ON OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT ~— DOCUMENTS. SHUTTLE IS THE MOST ACCURATE AND COMPREHENSIVE SIMULATION OF NASA'’S SPACE SHUTTLE EVER PRODUCED FOR ANY HOME COMPUTER.
FEATURES:
« FOLD-OUT SHUTTLE FLIGHT DECK POSTER
- VARIOUS LAUNCH AND LANDING SITES
- AUTHENTIC CONTROL PANEL DISPLAY
AVAILABLE FOR P.C. & COMPATIBLES, ST & AMIGA © 1991 Virgin Games, Ltd. All rights reserved © 1991 Vektor Grafix, Ltd. All rights reserved Virgin Games Ltd. 338A Ladbroke Grove, London W10 5AH
Tel: 081 960 2255 Fax: 081 960 9900
RAINBOW COLLECTION HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION WHEELS OF FIRE COMPILATION
9.99 9.99
RUGEY WORLOCUP THUNDERHAWK MAN UTD EUROPE
9.99 9.99 9.99
8.99
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FISTS OF FURY COMPILATION POWER UP COMP. MURDER!
9.99 9.99 6.49
FLAMES OF FREEDOM WONDERLAND KICK OFF 2 FISSTRIKEEAGLE2 LOTUS TURBO 2
11.99 13.99 8.99 11.99 11.99
JIMMY WHITE’
JIMMY WHITE — DNGN MASTER + CHAOS
11.99 14.99 16.99 conan
LEMMINGS OH No! MORE LEMMINGS GOLDEN AXE
13.99 9.99 8.49
PLAYER MANAGER WOLFCHILD
3.99 8.99 12.99
HOOK ELITE ROCKET RANGER
16.99 9.99 3.99
, FISTS OF FURY Atari ST Software Bias an
HANOL. WARRIORS, SHINOBI, (OFF ROAD RACER, TOTAL DOUBLE DRAGON 2)... RECALL, SHADOW WARRIOR) ...19. FIVE NATIONS RUGBY 30 CONSTRUCTION KIT... 4 WHEEL ORIVE {LOTUS ESPRIT TURBO, TEAM SUZUKI, TOYOTA CELICA, COMBO eee A320 AIR-BUS......... ACTION MASTERS. GAUNTLET 2 .. (F16 COMBAT PILOT, ITALY 1990, GAUNTLET3
DOUBLE DRAGON 2, TURBO GOOS ...... OUTRUN, WELLTAIS) ............18,99 GOLDEN AXE AD! ENGLISH (11-12) ...... 18.99 GOLF WORLD CLASS
ADI ENGLISH (12-13) _ ADI MATHS (11-12) .. ADI MATHS (12-13) ..
sx+:18.99 LEADERBOARD .......... vee OD 4018.99 GRAHAM GOOCH WORLD” ..1898 CLASS CRICKET .
ADVANTAG! 1.16.99 “GRAHAM TAYLOR'S me SOCCER MANAGER . HARLEQUIN .......... HEAD OVER HEELS (GUNSHIP, SILENT SERVICE, HEIMOALL (1 MEG)
P47, F15 STRIKE EAGLE. CARRIER COMMAND)
HEROQUEST + DATA
HILL STREET BLUES .
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817 FLYING FORTRESS BAAL ..
BARBARIAN 2 (PSYGNOSIS) BATTLE ISLE
HOME ACCOUNTS 2 HOME ALONE HOOK .. HUMANS IAN BOTHAMS CRICKET
99 93 99 CS] 98 : ie BATMAN THE MOVIE) D/S 9.99 49 99 99 99 99
INTER! CADAVER LEVELS - SPORTS CHALLENGE THE PAYOFF . ISHAR - LEGEND OF CAPTIVE 6. THE FORTRESS .. CARL LEWIS TRACK & JAGUAR XJ220 (1 FIELD CHALLENGE JAMES POND ..... z CARRIER COMMAND..... .7.98 JAMES POND 2- ROBOCOD...16.99 CELTIC LEGENDS ..... »+-19.99 JET + JAPAN DISK (SUBLOGIC) 10.99 CHAMPIONS JIM POWER. ........ oo 17.88 (MANCHESTER UTD, BOXING JIMMY WHITES SNOOKER 14.99 MANAGER, J.KHANN SQUASH)...12.99 JINXTER (M/SCROLLS).. +1399 CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER ...19.49 JOHN BARNES CHART ATTACK EUROPEAN FOOTBALL.......... (LOTUS ESPRIT, GHOULS AND KICK OFF 20/S . - GHOSTS, JAMES POND, K/OFF 2 FINAL WHISTLE.
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CORRUPTION (M/SC! KILLING GAME
COVERT ACTION KINGS QUEST 4 (SIERRA)
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DEJA VU .....
KNIGHTS OF THE SKY (1 eo) sr 39 LEANDER be a 6.99 LEATHER GODDESSES.
LEGEND OF THE SWORD
DELIVERANCE . LEMMINGS . oT DEUTEROS.. veesee LEMMINGS DATA DISK - OH NO! 9.99 DISCOVERY - IN THE _ LIFE AND DEATH . 1 STEPS OF COLUMBUS .........18.99 LOMBARD RAC RALLY
DUNGEON MASTER AND LOTUS TURBO 2 .... d CHAOS STRIKES BACK.......... 16.99 LURE OF THE TEMPTRESS ...20.99 DYNA BLASTERS...........0:s000e0 LURKING HORROR aah an ELF... . MAGIC POCKETS...
ELITE . MAGNETIC SCROLLS VOL.1
EPIC ... (GUILD OF THIEVES, FISH,
ESWAT CORRUPTION) (1 MEG)
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MAN UNITED EUROPE MEGA LO MANIA AND FIRST SAMURAI
Fi5 STRIKE EAGLE MEGA TWINS...
F16 FALCON ....... MERCENARY 3
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MEGA LO MANIA ....... ssn 1999 PIRATES
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14
Steve Merrett gazes into his crystal ball once more to give us the lowdown on what's in store for the ST games world
es >
THE GAMEPLAY
After rescuing his beloved Orphelia from the clutches of the oily Gary Gritter in the first game, Chuck Rock is now the owner of a rather successful car-dealing empire. However, once again Gritter is up to his old tricks, and this time he’s kidnapped Chuck himself. There's one ray of hope in this desolate scenario: Son of Chuck (pre- sumably conceived during the events following Orphelia’s rescue!).
Clad in his best bearskin nappy, and carrying the latest in toddler clubs, Son of Chuck must make his way across the game’s many horizontal- ly-scrolling stages in an attempt to free his father. Whereas the first game fea- tured a mixture of platform, beat-'em-up and puzzle styles, the sequel opts for a more simplistic and console- style approach. As the prehistoric world scrolls by in wonderful parallax in the background, the bouncing
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baby runs, clubs and leaps his way through the waves of Gritter’s henchmen. As with the first game, though, these adversaries are the normal platform-related nasties, and are made up of cartoon-style creatures and Neanderthals.
PLUS POINTS
Opting for a “console” style is no bad thing, and Chuck il bears more of a relation to, say, Mario than the previous game. Graphically, the game is excellent, with parallax and cartoon sprites used to fine effect - particularly the latter, which add to the game's comic look. As the main sprite moves along, a brilliant selection of natives, creatures and the like make an appear- ance, and all are superbly animated. While the graphics may grab your attention at first, the gameplay is up to the same high standards. Aithough at the time of writ- ing there are only a handful of levels put together, what exists plays at a fast and furi-
IT’s
CIK Hi
Rainbird’s excellent OCP Art Studio is being used to produce Chuck many sprites. Artist Lee Pullen prefers this dated package as it’s more flexible for sprite manipulation.
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MN
More prehistoric fun and games from Core in their follow-up to Chuck Rock...
ous rate, with plenty to keep players on their toes.
BEHIND THE SCENES
As with all of Core’s games, Chuck Il is being developed in-house - with the ST and OCP’s Art Studio taking on most of the work. The team from the first Chuck game has been reunited for the sequel, with graphic artist Lee Pullen supplying the graphics and “Egon” handling the Snasm- based coding chores. The project has been in develop- ment for nearly nine months, but has been halted twice whilst the team has been dragged on to other “secret” projects. However, Chuck Ilis now back on the front burn- er and should be released in September.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first Chuck game was a welcome blending of game styles which mixed together perfectly. Although the puz- zle element isn’t as strong in this sequel, the gameplay is
tighter and faster and this makes for a better-paced game. In addition, Core has obviously been looking at the many console platformers currently doing the rounds, and has taken the best bits from them. Rather than opt- ing for the same route as Robocod by using set back- drops, parallax has been added (it was omitted from the first Chuck game due to memory restrictions) to add depth to the play area - and this works excellently. In all, Chuck Rock Il - even at this early stage - looks like being a more than worthy sequel to the original.
The level scrolls from left to right, with any doors or openings to other areas appearing at the top and bottom of the screen — this is where aa find the sap many clues and useful objects.
be
es ae ee
Interacting with any of the people you find is simply a matter of sum- moning an icon panel and clicking on the required icon. From here, you can give and take objects, or simply type in what you want to say to the character.
Thalamus “Beast” Around The Bush in its latest - and possibly greatest —- arcade adventure
THE GAMEPLAY
After months of apparent inaction, Thalamus is set to return with Beastmaster. A quest that even Indiana Jones would baulk at, Beast- master sets the player the unenviable task of retrieving “The Guiding Light” - knowl- edge and wisdom beyond all known bounds. You're not the first person to chase such a dream, and countless adventurers before you have died in their quest for knowl- edge. However, undaunted, you are set to enter the three stages which make up this massive quest.
Played over a series of hori- zontally-scrolling stages, Beastmaster is a massive arcade/adventure in the style of Psygnosis’ Shadow Of The Beast games. The difference is that, whereas the Psygno- sis games were arcade based, Beastmaster is more of an arcade/adventure, with the player both battling against and interacting with the many people and creatures that inhabit the play area. Of course, there are some arcade elements: many of the people you'll meet are also after the “Light” and aren't too keen on you having it. The player's adventurer sprite is a lithe fellow who can run, jump and fight, but should he get into too many scrapes with the aforementioned nasties, he will meet with a nasty end and his mission will be pre- maturely over
As well as the scrolling areas, key buildings and plains can be entered through the doors which occasionally appear within the scrolling background and foreground. Here you will encounter other, more important char- acters, who will aid you in your quest. Such interaction is effected through a simple icon system, and your char- acter can give and take objects or, if inclined, just speak to them.
PLUS POINTS
Although the name itself makes this game sound like a Shadow Of The Beast clone,
such comparison is unfair. Beastmaster is a more cere- bral arcade/adventure and, although the battle elements are still important, logical thinking is also needed if the characters you meet are to be successfully manipulated. The scrolling works very well, and the doors which lead to secret areas and to important characters are often well-hid- den, intensifying the already claustrophobic feel. Add to this a large and varied play area, featuring a wide assort- ment of graphical styles, and end-of-level guardians, and Thalamus’ latest adventure looks extremely promising.
BEHIND THE SCENES
WJS design is a fairly new development team, but Wayne Smithson, the project leader is the brains behind such Psygnosis hits as Spell- bound.
The idea for the game came after the team looked at the many arcade/adventures available and wondered which direction to take. With so many concentrating on the arcade elements, WJS decid- ed that a more puzzle-based slant was needed. From here, a storyboard developed - as did the plot - and within the five months of development time spent so far, the game has expanded from their orig- inal ideas tenfold.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Beastmaster certainly looks the business, and although development is slightly ahead on the Amiga version, Thala- mus reckons that the ST game will be identical. The puzzles are large, although not as complex as those of, say, Beast Il, and they flow logically into each other. The interaction system works well and humorous conversation can be struck up with the many characters you encounter - although if you upset somebody at the start of the game, don’t expect them to be helpful next time. Little touches like this this make Beastmaster an exciting prospect.
15
CAMPAIGN
Empire rolls in the big boys for a tank sim with a
difference
THE GAMEPLAY
A battlefield in your front room? Yes, if Empire has its way. Campaign is a massive tank simulation with a differ- ence. Rather than using the customary “through the round window” viewpoints of most games of this genre, Empire’s game, uses complex
A variety of vehicles are ready for you to use. Each has slightly different controls depending on its power and style of movement.
3D routines to show the entire play area using filled vectors.
Rather than seeing assorted triangular trees pass your tank through one of several vantage points, you actually see your tank moving through the constantly-updated envi- ronment.
The game is set in the dying months of the World War II, with the player set to launch the offensive push which will hopefully end it all. Posi- tioned in Eastern Germany, the player is given complete control over every aspect of the battle - from supplies to the actual fighting - and must ensure that everything runs
smoothly and successfully. No less than 100 vehicles are at your disposal: as well as the expected tanks, the play- er can take control of assorted trucks, missile launchers and jeeps, all of which handle in different ways. In addition, a variety of guns are also ready for use and can be summoned to bombard key enemy posi- tions. If you are a good leader, everything should start to run smoothly, but if you make a few bad moves, expect your campaign to suf- fer slightly.
PLUS POINTS
The most striking thing about Campaign is the 3D system. Not only does the tank trun- die along smoothly, but the backdrops are panned past and updated, too!
The main plus point in this game’s favour, though, is that the gameplay offers an almost unlimited range of scenarios. Several missions are available to the player, and all tie into the overall plan of conquest.
As a result, if you make a bad move in the earlier stages, the enemy will geta greater stronghold later, mak- ing your task harder. However, by taking risks and damaging key installations, the enemy menace can be weakened fairly early on in the proceedings. This, effec- tively, should mean that no
two games that you play will be the same.
BEHIND THE SCENES Anyone who has experienced the delights of Rainbow Arts’ Conqueror will already be familiar with Jonathan Grif- fiths’ name. He took David Braben’s incredible Virus 3D routines and used them in the tank-based Conqueror to cre- ate a stunning scrolling game world - the ST had never seen anything like it before! With Campaign, he is playing with much larger sprites anda wider game task and, whilst memory is starting to get a little tight, he is still perform- ing miracles with the ST. Tank buff Jonathan is also pulling out all the stops to ensure that the game is accu- rate, too, and that the tanks and jeeps all behave as their real-life counterparts would.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
If you couldn't get on with Team Yankee or M1 Tank Pla-
using a 3D rotational system.
toon, then this is undoubtedly the game for you. Campaign is instantly absorbing, yet seems remarkably easy to pick up and play.
The strategy element is fair- ly simple to get to grips with, but it isn’t until you work fur- ther into the missions that you Start to see the effects that early battles have had. In addition, the sheer number of vehicles and guns which are at your disposal add even more scope to the action. Scheduled for a release in August or September, Cam- paign could well be the game that tops the well-received Pacific Islands.
x wt a 4 fr-ted Ide
oth Artillery
Haxinun * Country Speed (km-h)
HCS
HCS STE and MEGA STE UPGRADES
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STF (M) and Mega ST upgrade kits
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The HCS power supply and disk drive upgrades come complete with fitting instructions and plug straight into the ST without soldering. The Power supply produces less heat than the original so is more reliable. The high denisty drive upgrade kit comes complete with fitting instructions to upgrade a high density format (1.44 MB) in either single sided or double sided drive computers.
Replacement power supply .....+-00000c00000£ 39-99
Double sided disk drive kit ...........00 o+eee£47.00 High density disk drive kit...........000+0£67.00
ACCELERATORS
The AD speed made by ICD fits in place of your microprocessor. It uses a 68000 chip running at a switch bl ble 16MHZ with chache or standard BMHZ ie ive Ase i compatibilty. The 68030 SST for the Mi gives phenomenal s with a 68030 running at SOMH iT =e aes Pen space for 8Mb on board RAM, TOS 2 included.
AD Speed ST ...........0000 bepebeteeae sosseseeeeeke 145.00 AD Speed STE............00000008 deducdeccceusapes te NOOSOU
68030 SST * BO Sicceves eeecece eccoccccccecesessee£ 990.00 Fitting for ahove.............000088 stesteceseses bb OOsUO
Solder in kit (all versions) .........0+.
The Meee ST" ICD host jena gi. es SCSI output from the STs DMA plete with daalcerely dies 1h DMA cable and
} Tobe ee
i ti
allows the ST to raspy all 3 ST ‘soene an the Hebeyrc. monitor. The forget me'clock sets your STs time and date, with cartridge-through port. AD SCSI SSHSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSESESSESESEESEE vrgeenee£ 69, 99 AD $csl Plus (with clock... eeeeesesesrecsoseeses © weovek 29. 99 Ke board interface sebccsacevoucsovecesscessbabsseree OU Mu tirez eccselscnkssbssetsdubcoatsonsdbocvodseodsvocsssn ae Tr Forget Me Clock Uaadbecececcntsdensiadbucescouscesece 1 6.99
ATARI MEMORY UPGRADE SPECIALISTS
MONITORS
14" super high pore 0. oe dot pitch phe 07 al monitor is
compatable with the TT, PC AISVGA SM1 44 is Se eke e with all recone) ST bet all normal controls at t. Both have picture size and position adjustment.
Multisyn¢ colour monitor .............se00000£ 280.00 SM144 14" FST Monochrome.................£115.00
MODEM 9600
HCS modem 9600 has FAX capability with ze throughout data. Fully
PC euiators | fir with betwee the pe microrpeoceset in in mpd. Fo
e SIE or Mega please contact fechaveal Mis phone.
AT Speed C16........cccccccrrssssesreressseeeee® 205200 AT Speed Biccece Seceececoeooscessseseooossess Siesta lope 00 PC Speed SSSOSOSSSSSSSSSSSSOSSSSOOSSSSSSSSOESESEEOS 3] 0. 00 Fitting for ahove ..........0.0.ccsccsscrseseseere£ 30000
The Vortex 386 emulator runs at 16 MHZ and allows true multitasking in PC mode on the ST. Space on board is provi a 387 CO Processor and 512 K of FASTRAM. Norton factor 15!.
VORTEX 386 SX= 16 ..ccccccccccccccccccsescoveek a 29200 387 CO-PROCESSOR.........cecccccseceesrroeek 117.00 FASTRAM CACHE dabubsdndsececsucacsdiveciessees GOO OU
SPECTRE GCR MAC EMULATOR
The Spectre GCR cartridge allows the ST to emulate the Mac giving 20% more speed than the Mac plus with 30% bigger screen area! It is igs com ieee with ST hard drives. used in conjunction with T it can eer the fastest macs. The megatalk board fits ved Mega ST to allow connection to Mac specific peripherals, LAN network and Mac SCSI.
SPECTRE GCR (Inc. 128K Roms)............£299.00 Megatalk Board ...........csscccsssscssrseees -.£250.00
SCSI ADAPTERS —
SOCHTOSES OS LOSESOSSEEEEEEOSEEEOOEES
Seeeeeerescoversescooosees senstesese 7 Os 00 00
vires and Credit card orders please Fax/Phone bapneen 40. 30 am and 6.00pm Mon to Sat on (081 777 0751 Enquiries cannot be taken by post. For mail order please send description of aoa s and cheque/PO to:
35 Hartland Way, Shirley, Croydon CR CRO ‘BRI Prices include VAT aa : &P Goods normally dispatched within 2 working days.
5 YEAR DAY NO QUIBBLE
MEMORY GUARANTEE
3D CONSTRU
Incentive struck gold with their original Virtual Reality designer. Can they do it a second time? Tony Dillon takes
a look...
ith the phrase “Virtual Reality” a bit of a catchword at the
moment, Incentive’s original 3D Construction Kit was guar- anteed to do well.
That isn’t to say that it didn’t do so deservingly. It was, and is, an excellent package, with a few flaws concerning the simplicity of the shapes you could create and the slightly limiting com- mand language it incorporated. Incentive now thinks that it has come up
with something better, and |, for one, am inclined to agree.
The new package gives you new shapes, and new effects give a better control over the worlds that you can now cre- ate. With the new package, creations that are even better than the well-received Castle Master should be within everyone's grasp. For those of you that remember the Original product, here’s a list of the commands and enhancements that Incentive has incorporated.
YOUR FLEXIBLE FRIEND
The centre of the package - as before - is the 3D world mod- elling itself. On top of all the Original building blocks, Incentive has added two new ones. There's a sphere, to give your games a more natu- ral feel, and there's the flexicube. A flexicube differs from a normal cube in the way it can be reshaped. For most other objects, the only
In a game like Damocles 2, there are a lot of places where the player must relinquish control to allow a computer-con- trolled sequence, as would happen if, say, you got into a taxi and the driver took you to a location without you having to do anything. Kit IJ has something similar up its sleeve. Video Record/Playback allows you to record walks and actions around your world and then play them back from a command in the improved command language. The scenes are recorded by clicking on record, and then playing the scene as though you were playing the game. No more text messages saying “You have been marched off to prison by
the guards.”
Now you can actually show the way to the
prison and show yourself being thrown in,
thing you can do with them is pull the faces around perpen- dicular to the centre of the shape, stretching them but not altering any of the angles. A flexicube is reshaped by pulling the corners rather than the faces, allowing you to build a lot of shapes you couldn't have in the original, at least without sticking a lot of other shapes together.
A much-needed reference point when reshaping objects comes in the form of high- lighted points. With the original, if you tried to edit a shape while viewing it from an angle other than face on, it was a little tricky to predict which side would start mov- ing when you pressed a stretch button. Now, the side you are going to move is highlighted by points at each corner of the face before you move it, so there’s no need for irritating and time con- suming mistakes.
NOT FADE AWAY
There are a couple of new features when displaying objects. Firstly they can be set to fade when shot, or when another, similar condi- tion is met. Similarly, they can be set to resonate between two States or just displayed transparently, let- ting you see through them into the area behind. Ideal for windows and forcefields. Secondly, objects can be displayed in wire-frame mode. Naturally this is much faster, but can be used to
great effect when building pylons and the like.
Finally, objects can be made intangible, so you can walk through them. Link this with the Video playback option and the wireframe option and you have a pretty neat teleporter.
BREAK FOR THE BORDER
In the new kit, the border serves more functions than to just close off the view win- dow. For a start, you can have as many borders as you like, all of which are loaded in one at a time. This gives you scope for entering vehicles, for example, or if you go underwater, you can tint the whole thing blue.
You can also add sprites to the border and animate them. The sprites can be placed anywhere on the screen, but unfortunately don’t interact with the main 3D area. Even so, they can still be used to great effect, for example should you be in combat, you could have a red splash appear every time you hit something. This may be a bit tasteless, but who wants taste anyway?
There are two new instru- ments you can add to your instrument panels - dials and timers. Both are accessed in the same way as any other instrument, from the com- mand language. Dials are displayed as circles with movable radii, and timers are bars that gradually disappear. This lets you add new chal- lenges to your games, such
SOUND EDITOR
The new sound editor is a boon for novices. It allows you to completely control the way a sound is replayed during the game. There are eight effects you use to modify or add toa sound, including fade and vibrato, any or all of which can be set in any order and act for any length of time, simply by clicking on a box in the main window, set- ting the effect and its duration.
You can also select the channel or channels the sound is to be played across. If you have an STE, you can set up some inter- esting stereo effects by panning sound from the left to the right channels, or even playing it through all four just for that extra spe- cial warning sound.
as timed bombs, or races against the clock to escape from certain locations.
EASIER THAN LINGUAPHONE
The programming side of the kit has overgone an almost complete overhaul since the original, and now boasts twice as many commands as before, and what a set they are! From performing all the Original functions, to calling everything you've read here, you can now change the palette of objects during the
game, handy for simulating the effect of a light being switched on.
Also, conditions have been made easier. For example, in the previous Construction Kit, a program of moderate size was needed to tell the com- puter that if the player should walk into whichever object was the door, the program should move that player to the hext location.
Now, clicking on a object and clicking on the “Door” option automatically makes it a door, thus making move-
ment between locations much easier.
Programmers should have a much easier time when deal- ing with more complicated programs, thanks to the inclusion of Procedures. These named subroutines can be jumped to from any point of the game, happy in the knowledge that once they have completed their task, they'll return to the point they jumped from. This saves rewriting all those repetitive routines you keep finding yourself using.
“i
i
Ren SR TERT RO eee eee
Yes, it’s Noughts And Crosses. Not the most incredible idea fora game, but because of some of the shapes needed, it couldn't have been done on the origi- nal Kit.
WHEN AND WHERE
3D Construction Kit I] should hit the shops in early Septem- ber, priced around £50. For your money you'll get an instructional video, the main program disk, a clip art disk filled with objects designed by members of the official Kit Club, a colour catalogue of all the objects supplied and the same impressive packaging as the first. And of course we'll be carrying a full review just as soon as we can get our hands on a copy.
One way you could always tell that a game had been designed on the original kit was by looking at the standard font used. Kit I lets you load in your own fonts, giving your game a little more originality.
19
OVER DISK
Our second exclusive package is one of the funniest, most manic music programs ever written. Dr Tiricc will inspire you to write lyrics, compose drum patterns and create music via the ST monitor or a MIDI synth. It will also do impersonations, make decisions, hold a lucid conversation and even insult you
r Tirice runs in high or D medium resolution. If
you're working in colour, double-click on DR_TIR_C.PRG; if you're using a mono monitor, double-click on OR_TIR_B.PRG.
To be safe, run Dr Tirice straight from power-up and be sure to re-boot your com- puter after use. This is because Dr Tiricc uses a Ccus- tom speech program which requires some cheating with the ST's operating system. On loading the pro- gram, the wacky load-up picture pre-
sents itself, with the various menu options at the top of the screen. Making sure that the monitor volume is turned up to about halfway, let’s get some...
INSTANT FUN
Go to the Desk heading and click on “About Dr. Tiricc”; you'll be greeted with the suitable welcome of “Hello darlings, my name is Doctor Tiricc”!
The Fun heading has five options. The first of these, Opinion, allows you to have an intelligent conversation
with the doctor, who will happily criticise your work. Whatever you do, don't ignore his request for you to type in your name, otherwise one will be selected for you and as he doesn’t know whether you are male or female, mistakes are likely to occur. Dr Tirice is more than capable of holding its own against any argument or criti- cism of yours. After your conversation has finished,
you can view, hear or print the vocabulary that you have used through the discussion.
History gives you a long account of how Dr Tirice came to be. Rather amusing, but be careful - once the monologue Starts, the only way to stop it is to re-boot the computer. It’s worth lis- tening to once.
A click on either Recital or Impersonation will result in a thought-provoking comment.
This is what Dr Tiricc should look like when you first load the
program.
Lyrics Music Drums Special
DR TIRICC
DR TIRICC *INTRINSIC TECHNOLOGY ° 0.5 MB ¢ MUSIC/LYRIC PROGRAM
Desk Fun Lyrics Music Drums Special
UCecisicr heer
ter The clesticn Shoulder
eet Ur itis hercicc?
Ter aust [ke elt ci
The Decision Maker — you can now blame Dr Tiricc when you turn up
late for work.
the
If you have cre Drums he
elect MIDI and then loops
Gene
synth
Recital is a bizarre collection of sayings and phrases while Impersonation provides imi- tations of famous personalities or ideas. There’s about 30 of each and they appear randomly, so feel free to go back to these time and time again.
Executive Toys are normally used to help businessmen to make decisions. Well, you don't need to be a high-flier to use this feature of Dr Tiricc. \f you choose Decide, type in a question and get an immediate response with an uncanny (but totally random) degree of accuracy. Saying brings forth a typical execu- tive expression, a “buzz” phrase which can be used in an office or wherever people congregate.
ENTERING PHRASES
Load in the file TSONG.LYR and choose Hear Song; once you've had enough, press on the Control key two or three times.
You'll see the lyrics appear- ing on-screen along with the letter “w” several times. This is used to add a pause when- ever required - the length of
Combine lines ent manually with thos ed by Dr Tiricc.
Try different sounds with each line - try swap- ping a hihat sound witha tom sound.
Try different tempos like half and doub tempo of O pi
ative num- bers slow down
8 Combine a number of patterns together in your sequencer to create the
the pause is set from the Lyric Delay in the Special menu. The defaults are 100 (half a second) for the stan- dard end of a sentence and 200 (one second) each time a “w" occurs. You can change these delays whenever you want to.
Now go to Randomise and set a number of phrases ~ perhaps 30 or so. Dr Tirice will randomly select from the phrases of the Song lyric, construct a new song and immediately go through the new lyric, line by line; again, press on the Control key two or three times when you want Dr Tiricc to stop.
How do you put your own lyrics together? Select: Phrase and type in a series of expres- sions; these can be from one word to whole sentences although shorter phrases work better. Dr Tirice will repeat every comment that you type in and keep them in memory. Try typing in the fol- lowing phrases:
Help me, wake up, in, the, mornings.
You can hear the entire lyric by using the Hear Song option; you may find that the delay between one word and the next is too long: if so, go to the Special heading, select the Lyric Delay option and enter O at the two prompts. Use Hear Song again and you'll hear the difference.
Now select the Randomise menu option and decide how many phrases long you want the lyric to be. As five phras- es have been typed in, let’s choose five for the final num- ber of phrases. Dr Tiricc selects five of the typed-in comments and displays them, and while it is possible that you might get “Help me wake up in the mornings", it is very unlikely as there are 3,125 alternatives for just these five phrases! If you want to hear the same lyric again, use Hear Random.
SAVING THE RAVING
The more phrases you type in, the more interesting the results are, but the longer it
Desk Fun Lyrics Music Drums Special
++e+PHRASING,... Type in your phrases here 7
Type quit to end
Desk Fun Lyrics Music Drums Special
vee ePHRASING, 4. Type in your phrases here 7 Type quit to end 71 Love My Gerbil
Type quit to end 7He's the Greatest
Type quit to end Kiss Kiss
Type quit to end 2Gerbil
Type quit to end
vee SONG. es To song or not to song Hold control to stop
I Love My Gerbil He's the Greatest Kiss Kiss
Gerbil
Baby
HOLD CONTROL TO STOP Enter Return to repeat Enter q_ to Exit
Creating new Lyric Riffs
How many phrases long
SPEAKING NEM LYRIC RIFFS hold control to stop Kiss Kiss Baby I Love My Gerbil He's the Greatest Gerb
a I Love My Gerbil Bab
Return to repeat q to Exit x |
Desk Fun Lyrics Music Drums Special
SSS SSS
TO INPUT MUSIC Enter 0 as pitch to End
2=Half 4=Quarter 8=Eigth 16= Sixteenth 6=dotted Quarter 12=dotted Eigth
Enter notes pitch and duration
Pitch , Length oil
STEP BYSTEP € >
TO CREATE MUSIC
You want to create your own tune? No problem — use the Input option to write it directly onto the score.
takes. No problem; go to Save up to 32 steps. If you think of
and choose the Entered each step as being either a Enter 1 for Hajor
Enter 2 for Helodic Minor
option. This will bring up the beat or a rest, this means Enter 3 for Harmonic Major 7 Enter 4 for Harmonic Minor File Selector and let you save that up to four sounds can Enter 5 for Enignatic
Enter & for Oriental
your series of comments to disk. Use a new disk, not the Dr Tiricc master. You can con- tinually add to Dr Tiricc’s vocabulary by loading in your phrases, going to Append Phrase and typing in further comments. These are added to your file which can then be saved to disk again.
lf Dr Tiricec comes up witha particularly good lyric that you don’t want to lose, again use the Save option but this time you must select Created instead of Entered.
Type in a file name on the File Selector and then save it to disk. You can also keep a copy of the lyric on paper by using the Print facility which prints out to a standard Epson 9-pin printer.
RHYTHM ‘N’ RIFF
The Drum side of Dr Tiricc lets you create a four-part (or instrument) drum pattern of
exist at the same time. The parts are known as “Lines”: line 1 is bass drum, line 2 is snare drum, line 3 is hihat and line 4is a synth tomtom.
Now for some instant results; set the number of steps to 16 from the Change Res option and go to Create Riff. This is for automatic rhythm creation.
You'll be asked to enter a line number; select 1 for the bass drum. Now decide how busy you want the bass drum to be; 1 is the most busy, 5 the least active. For a bass drum, a reasonable value might be 3 or 4.
Dr Tirice wil\ create the part and display it on screen as a series of 1s and Os. Press 9 to finish and then go to the either the Grid or List options; your bass drum line will either be shown graphi- cally or as words. Finally, select Hear and the bass
oo) “ a
Desk Fun Lyrics Music Drums Special
Enter 1 for Major
Enter 2 for Melodic Minor Enter 3 for Harmonic Major Enter 4 for Harnonic Minor Enter § for Enignatic
Enter
Hom nany bars 716M
Desk Fun _Lurics Music Drums Special
drum line will play.
If you go back to Create Riff and select a different line number, you can build up the rhythm section for a song. You can also use the Enter @ Use the music creations Riff option to key in your own as bass lines by transpos- beats. If you select a line TOTAL HOTES 62
DOTTED EIGTH HALF NOTE EIGTH NOTE QUARTER NOTE HALF NOTE
gme@gegyzeoZeRZ0
7 =
ing them -12 or -24.
@ Always save as a MIDI File; you never know when Dr Tiricc will come up with a really worthwhile offer- ing
@ Put a number of them together in your sequencer and create chord
sequence you may only like a three note run, but
set you writing an entire song.
which has already been pro- Return to continue
grammed, you will overwrite it; the Clear option will erase all lines.
Once there is more than one instrument playing, playback via the ST’s monitor speaker becomes inaccurate. This is because the drums are effec- tively “mouth drums” and Dr Tiricc can only make one drum sound ata time! Line 1 sounds like a “doo”, line 2 like a mouth pop, line 3 like a breath in and line 4 like a
Return to continue
Desk Fun Lyrics Music Drums Special
WO CREATE A BEAT
Enter Line number
Desk Fun Lyrics Music Druns Special
yI0 CREATE A BEAT
: Enter Line number
ENTER HOW BUSY 1 - 5
1 is most active
Desk Fun Lyrics Music Drums Special (3
Enter 9 to stop or 1-4 for that line
Desk Fun Lyrics Music Drums Special
Directory:
Selection: MYTUNE
MSC,
Return to continue
FILE SELECTOR
bs ee —— EEE
Save your tune asa .MSC file which can be loaded into the Noteplay program
-. Orasa -MID file for use with your sequencer.
mouth click. Individual lines playback without problem; multiple lines, however, will be a little inaccurate.
You can save your drum pat- terns to disk and retrieve them by using the Save and Load commands; drum pat- terns are saved with a .DRM extension. You also get a sec- ond file selector for saving your drum pattern as a MIDI File (.MID) which lets you load it into a sequencer for editing and working with. lf you don't want to save asa MIDI File, click on Cancel.
MUSICAL LINES
Under the Music menu are the various options to help you write a tune of up to 16 bars. Selecting Create gives you the option of various scales such as Major or Minor along with “moods” like Enig- matic or Oriental. Then choose a number of bars and watch Dr Tirice automatically write a tune; each line gives you a note and length of note in words and numbers. There
}
inspire you, to create a spark from which you can develop a finished idea. In this way, the final collec- tion of words is down to your own unique interpre- tation and imagination. All of this happens within the Lyrics menu
For an instant result, drop down the Lyrics menu and select Load. On your mas- ter disk you should find a file called RAP.LYR. Load this, select Hear Song and listen to Dr Tiricc, comput- er rapper extraordinaire.
peo Fer \yrics Music Bruns Special
Selection: MYTURE .nIH | . f x} alt ° +H 4
are 96 divisions to a whole note so a quarter note is worth 24, an eighth note is equal to 12 and soon.
You want to look at the cre- ation? Go to Score and view it on a musical stave. As for hearing it, Dr Tirice will quite happily sing it to you via the Hear selection, but his voice is, to put it politely, a little less than tuneful.
You can also Input your own notes and Print out to an Epson-compatible printer. Save and Load works in the same way as for the Drum section. Music is saved as a -MSC file; you are also pro- vided with the chance to save as a MIDI File (.MID).
There is a separate program called Noteplay which lets you load in .MSC files and hear them played, again from the Monitor's speaker. You are prompted to choose a .MSC file for playback, from disk drive A, followed by the number of times, or number of loops, that you want to hear the tune.
JOIN THE CLUB!
Become a member of the Dr Tiricc Club! Register with Intrinsic Technology Ltd and you'll be informed of updates, new products and the latest offerings from the Dr Tiricc Club. Send a blank disk anda stamp-addressed enve- lope and you'll receive it back with some lyric libraries on-board.
As a member of the Dr Tiricc Club, you are wel- come to contribute to the club newsletter disk; you can send in lyrics, music and drum creations.
THE FOUR STAR £5 OFFER:
For £5 you can get a £20 package including:
@ TIRICON.PRG, a docu- ment utility which allows you to convert ordinary text files into Dr Tiricc for- mat - usually worth £15. @ A disk of Dr Tirice Lyric Libraries worth £3.
® The official Dr Tiricc manual.
@ A disk of musically related useful PD worth £2:
Register with: Mail Order Dept STR, Intrinsic Tech- nology Ltd, 4 Auckland Court, London SE27 9PE Tel/Fax: 081-761 0178
23
With the full version of HiSoft Basic on this month’s coverdisk, you too can now write your own programs using the best ST Basic available and our own series of step- by-step tutorials
HISOFT BASIC
HISOFT BASIC « HISOFT * 0.5MB ¢ PROGRAMMING TOOL
easy-to-use languages available for the ST. It is
already widely used by thousands of people, and once learnt, BASIC can be easily programmed across different computers.
PROGRAMMING WITH HISOFT — PART ONE
From the reputable software house that gave us fine products such as Turbo ST, Tempus, Proflight Tornado simu- lator and many more, comes this excellent programmers development package.
HiSoft BASIC consists of an integrated editor and compiler which unlike most BASIC packages, produces fast and efficient machine code. A program can be written, edited, debugged and compiled all directly from the editor, making it easy to write and refine your programs. Written by Dave Nutkin and Andy Pennel, both respected ST authorities, it also supports direct access to the GEM libraries, allowing the creation of desk accessories as well as standard programs.
HiSoft BASIC includes extra facilities for the experienced pro- grammer, such as the ability to create your own libraries, linking C and Assembler routines and so on. Also on disk is Profile, a simple but useful utility that will provide statistics about the efficiency and speed of your program as well as pointing out where most time is spent.
To get started simply double-click on the HBASIC.PRG icon and off we go...
USING THE EDITOR
The HiSoft Basic editor has the standard GEM interface, which looks and behaves like many popular word processors. You simply type in the commands and press Return to move to the next line. You can also use the Backspace, Delete and cursor keys to move around the text. One useful key command is Con- trol+Y which deletes a whole line of text. All the standard file operations can be found under the File menu and a useful addi- tion is the Save option, which saves the file without displaying the file selector. When developing a program it is easy to crash the system so remember to save your work before running the program. BASIC programs are normally given the extension .BAS, and a typical file name will be HELLO.BAS.
The program menu is where you compile and run your pro- grams. To try your program you simply select Run from this menu, the editor will disappear, and after a brief pause your own program will run. When your program has finished, you will be returned to the HiSoft Basic editor so you can continue with your work.
Now you are just about ready to try your first program, just type in
ef iSoft BASIC is one of the most professional, yet
PRINT “My First Program”
then select Run from the Program menu. HiSoft Basic now
goes into action, translating the commands into machine code.
This takes a few seconds and, when finished, the text - My
First Program - will appear on screen. Congratulations! You
cT) have just written a computer program; it is a simple one,
but it shows that programming needn't be difficult.
STATEMENTS, VARI- ABLES AND THE REST...
Let’s take a closer look at the program.
The PRINT command is used to display text on screen. The text must be inside quotation marks, otherwise BASIC won't recog- nise it as such. lf you need some text to appear in the program several times, there is a short cut. This may seem confusing at first, but don't worry, it is easier than it looks. BASIC supports text variables, and these can be given any name as long as it ends with the dollar symbol $. Try the following example:
a$=“This Is ” ‘some text is assigned to a$ b$=“My Second Program” ‘some text is assigned to b$ PRINT a$
PRINT b$
PRINT a$+b$ ‘this will print the full text ©
The program now adds the two text variables a$ and b$ to construct a whole sentence. Check the screen shot to see if everything works correctly.
The apostrophe (’) is used to add remarks to a program; these are ignored by BASIC and are only there to remind you what each line of code does. It may seem unimportant now, but when you have written programs with hundreds of lines, you would simply be lost without these remarks, so don’t be lazy...
A very useful command is the INPUT statement which is used to let the user of the program type in some text. Once the user hits return the program will continue to the next line. Here’s how to use the command:
PRINT “Type in your name...”
INPUT a$ ‘program waits for the user to type in name b$="Hello ”
PRINT b$+a$ 2)
This Is Type in your nane Ry Second Progran Cs) This Is Ay Second Progran
? ST Review Hello ST Review
Program terminated ~ press a key to enit Program terminated - press o key to enit
BASIC can of course handle numbers as well as text; variables can be assigned, numerical values and standard arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction and the rest are also supported. Numeric variables do not use the $ sign, and can have any name you like. These will be used in our next exam- ple, a program to convert kilometres to miles:
PRINT “Type in miles to be converted”
INPUT m ‘m is the number of miles typed in by the user =m*1.605 ‘k is the number of kilometres PRINT k 3}
There is a more efficient way of writing the last program:
INPUT “Type in miles to be converted”;m PRINT m*1.605 ‘calculate and print result 4}
Try running the program and you will find that, effectively, it produces the same result. This is a good example of how a program can be made more compact and efficient. Note the way the INPUT command has been used. This is a very useful form of INPUT as it allows you to precede the variable with instructions for the user on the same line.
IFS AND BUTS
In most programs there will be a need to act differently depending on user input
INPUT “Type in a number “;k IF k>5 THEN PRINT “The number is bigger than 5” if k<5 THEN PRINT “The number is smaller than 5” 5}
Try running the program typing different numbers each time. If you input 5, the program will not print anything because we have not included 5 in the conditions. You can try to add a line like...
IF k=5 THEN...
HiSoft Basic also supports the SELECT CASE statement which is very similar to IF... THEN. The same program using SELECT CASE would look like this:
INPUT “Type in a number";k SELECT CASE k CASE>5 : a$= “The number is bigger than 5” CASE<5 : a$= “The number is smaller than 5” END SELECT @ PRINT a$
Note how we used the variable a$ instead of using PRINT for each case. It is also advisable to use the Tab key to indent the text as it makes the program more readable.
SMOOTH OPERATORS
Most computer programs require some mathematical operations, mostly simple ones, but don’t be alarmed...
Type in miles to be converted
Type in mites to be converted ? 76 735 3 112.35 56.175
Program terminated ~ press a key to exit Progronm terminated - press o key to exit
HiSoft Basic supports a wide range of mathematical operators in addition to +, -, * and/.
For this month’s program we will use the modulus operator, which is used to divide two numbers and give the remainder. For example 5 MOD 4 will produce 1, because when you divide 5 by 4 the remainder is 1. Check the following examples:
5 MOD 5=0 5 MOD 3=2 6 MOD 3=0
There are various other operators that can be used in con- junction with IF...THEN. For example, AND can be used as follows:
IF a=8 AND b=7 THEN PRINT “OK”
This means that both conditions must be true for the program to print OK to the screen.
Another operator we will use is OR, which for our purposes is similar to AND; its main use is in IF...THEN statements. Here's an example -
IF a=8 OR a=4 THEN PRINT “FINE”
Now ‘a’ has to be either 8 or 4 for the program to print FINE - any values other than 8 or 4 will be ignored and the program will not print FINE.
LOOP-DE-LOOP
Sometimes it is useful to have the program repeat an operation instead of having to write the ..
As you would expect, there are several ways to do this and for this month’s program we will use the FOR...NEXT format. Try the next example:
FOR i=1 TO 10 PRINT i
‘start loop and increment i from 1 to 10
NEXT i ‘bottom of loop, when i=10 the loop will end
The FOR...NEXT loop uses the variable ‘i’ as a counter, each time the loop repeats, the variable will increase until it is 10 in this particular case - at which point the loop is exited and the program ends.
Before you continue, try to incorporate some of the com- mands you've covered so far:
FOR i=1 to 10
PRINTi
SELECT CASE i case<5 : a$= “iis smaller than 5” case=5 : a$= “i equals 5” case>5 : a$= “i is now bigger than 5”
END SELECT
PRINT a$
IF i=10 THEN PRINT “This is the end of the loop”
NEXT i (7)
WHICH DAY OF THE WEEK
Type in o number ? 6 The number is bigger then 5S (5)
—eCaeryauseun=
Progron termineted - press a key to enit Program terminated - press & key to exit
25
WERE YOU BORN ON?
Ever wondered which day of the week you were born on? Or which day New Year’s Eve will fall on at the end of the century? This month’s program, Which Day, will tell you just that
The first step is to look at the problem and how it can be solved. If we knew what day of the week it was on 1.1.1901, then all we would have to do is to find how many days have passed since, then divide the result by seven using MOD. Lets start by writing a simplified version of the program, ignoring leap years for the moment and assuming that 1.1.1901 was a Sunday.
Save the program with the name WHICHDAY.BAS to disk then try running it to check that everything is working; it will not INPUT “Type in day of the month”;day ‘user input with prompt INPUT “Type in month”;month INPUT “Type in year” ;year
‘now find how many days have passed since 1.1.1901 to the ‘beginning of the input year
ouryear=year-1901
‘how many whole years since 1901
1 i is smatter than 5 cv 2
i is smatter than 5 3
“Type in dey of the month? 31 Type in month? 12 Type in year? 1999
3
This date falls on a Sunday than 5
i is snatter 4a
1 is smatter 5
i equats 5 6
i is now bigger ?
than 5
then 5
i ts now bigger than 5
i is now bigger than 5 9
i is now bigger then 5 18
i ts now Digger then 5 This ts the end of the loop
[Program terninated — press @ key to enit Program terminated - press a key to exit
FOR...NEXT loop repeats, and whenever a leap year is found,
we'll use the INCR statement to increment yeardays. The last
thing to check is whether the input year is also a leap year; if it
is, we have to check if the input month is later than February (month>2). If so we have to add another day to the calculation. So we can add the follow- ing line:
IF year mod 4=0 AND month>2 THEN INCR yeardays
Run the program and check it against known dates. You will find that the results are incor-
yeardays=ouryear*365 ‘how many days in those years rect; they're always two days off. This means
that 1.1.1901 was not a Sunday but a Tues- SELECT CASE month ‘now find how many days have day. Now we have to adjust the end part of CASE=1:monthdays=0 ‘passed since beginning of year the program -
CASE=2:monthdays=31 CASE=3:monthdays=31+28 CASE=4:monthdays=31+28+31 CASE=5:monthdays=31+28+31+30 CASE=6:monthdays=31+28+31+30+31 CASE=7:monthdays=31+28+31+30+31+30 =8:monthdays=31 +28+31+30+31+30+31 CASE=9:monthdays=31 +28+31+30+31+30+314+31 CASE=10:monthdays=31+28+31+30+31+30+31+31+30 CASE=11:monthdays=31+28+31+30+31+30+31+31+30+31 CASE=12:monthdays=31+28+31 +30+31+30+31+31+30+31+30 END SELECT
ourdays=day-1 ‘now add all results to find how many days since 1.1.1907 howmanydays=yeardays +monthdays +ourdays weekday=howmanydays& MOD 7
SELECT CASE weekday ‘if remainder is 0 then CASE 0:a$=“Sunday” ‘it’s a Sunday CASE 1:a$=“Monday” ‘if 1 then it’s a Monday CASE 2:a$="Tuesday” ‘if 2 then it’s a Tuesday... CASE 3:a$="Wednesday” CASE 4:a$="Thursday” CASE 5:a$=“Friday” CASE 6:a$=“Saturday”
END SELECT
PRINT “—W________-”
PRINT “This date falls on a “+a$ ‘print the result to screen
give you correct results because we have ignored all leap years and assumed that 1.1.1901 was a Sunday, which is not neces- sarily true. Lets deal now with the leap year factor.
Leap years occur every four years, if the year number can be divided by 4 then it’s a leap year. The MOD command is ideal for problems like this: to work out if a year is a leap year we simply divide by 4 and find the remainder using MOD. If the remainder is O it’s a leap year. So we add the following lines to the program, just before SELECT CASE month:
FOR i=1901 to year-1 IF i MOD 4=0 THEN INCR yeardays NEXT i
We only want to check the years from 1901 to year-1, because we will deal with the actual input year separately. The
‘divide result and return remainder
SELECT CASE weekday
CASE 0:a$=“Tuesday”
CASE 1:a$="“Wednesday”
CASE 2:a$=“Thursday”
CASE 3:a$=“Friday”
CASE 4:a$="Saturday”
CASE 5:a$=“Sunday”
CASE 6:a$=“Monday”
END SELECT
PRINT =» —_____—__ _..." PRINT “This date falls on a “+a$ ‘print the result to screen
‘how many days since beginning of month
The program is now fully working and you can test it with different dates. It does have a limitation though, because leap years are omitted every 100 years. 1900 and 2000 aren't leap years, so the program will produce the wrong days when asked about years before 1901 or after 1999. You can try to add a few lines to the program to solve the prob- lem yourself. The final program is included on the cover disk for your reference.
COMPILING TO DISK
So far the programs and examples have been compiled to memory, but when a program is complete it is possible to compile it to disk. The compiler will then produce a PRG or TOS file which can be loaded directly from the desktop, just like professional programs.
Before compiling to disk it is always a good idea to double- check your program by running it several times and making sure everything is working correctly. Then select Compile from the Program menu. You will be presented with a rather large dialogue box. It’s best to ignore the various options for the moment and just click on the Disk button then on the Compile button, this will start the by now familiar compila- tion process. When finished the compiler will return you to the editor where you can quit HiSoft Basic (but not before you save your work!). You will now find a new file on your disk called WHICHDAY.TOS. Double-click on the file and your first ‘real’ program will start... How about that?
THE COMMANDS
PRINT - Use this statement to print text and numbers to screen. Text must be inside quotation marks like - PRINT “Hello”
INPUT - Normally used with @ prompt, for example INPUT “Type a number, please” ;a
When an INPUT statements is encountered by the pro- gram, it pauses and waits for the user to type some- thing and/or hit Return.
IF... THEN - The most com-
mon conditional statement. Used to make the program
act according to the
IF... THEN conditions.
IF a=6 THEN PRINT “Good
Morning”
SELECT CASE - This is simi-
lar to IF...THEN.
SELECT CASE a CASE=1:(do this...) CASE=2:(do that...) CASE>5:(do noth-
CASE ELSE:(do something...) END SELECT
FOR...NEXT - This is one the various BASIC loops. FOR i=1 to 5
(do something...) NEXT i The loop will be repeated 5 times, the variable i is used as a counter, Any com- mands inside the FOR...NEXT will be repeated
five times.
MOD - The modulus is used to divide two numbers and produce the remainder, 6 MOD 4 will produce 2, 8 MOD 4 will give 0. This can be used to check if a num- ber can be divided by a second number and give a whole number (no fractions) as a result.
$ - The dollar symbol is used to indicate that a vari- able will contain text rather than a number. a$= "Some text”
DEFINT a-z - This limits all variables in the program to *whole* numbers between - 32768 and 32767. This results in a more compact and efficient code, a faster program to you and me. lf the number is required is outside this range then the & must follow the variable name. For example - a=31000
b&=150000
INCR - To increment a vari- able we use the INCR statement.
INCRa a=5
“a” will now be 6.
DECR - Has the opposite effect to INCR.
WHAT IS BASIC?
Computers may appear to be com- plex machines, but in fact there is a very short list of “words” a com- puter needs to understand, which makes it easy for us to master the vocabulary. Unfortunately, com- puters don't speak English but a language called machine code. For that very reason, several program- ming languages have been devised which allow the programmer to instruct the computer in what is, more or less, a familiar tongue. BASIC acts as an interpreter between the programmer and the computer, eliminating the need to learn complex machine codes and allowing easy access to program- ming. Like English, BASIC reads from left to right and from top to bottom and so is a more “familiar” language with which to program. BASIC only supports about 200 commands, and of these only a dozen or so will be needed for you to write your first program.
if you want the complete HiSoft BASIC manual, then thanks to an exclusive deal with ST Review, you can get -your hands on the weighty tome (of over 300 pages) for only £14.95 (+ £2.00 p&p) - but hurry because stocks of manuals are limited!
You can also upgrade from the HiSoft Basic 1 to the new, enhanced HiSoft BASIC version 2 for only £49.95. It costs £79.95 in the shops.
Please send all completed orders to HiSoft ST Review Offer, The Old ‘School, Greenfield, Bedford MK45 5DE
Goods will be dispatched upon receipt of order but please allow up to 28 days for delivery.Non-receipt of orders enquiries please phone 0525 718181 or fax on 0525 713716. Overseas orders please add £5.00 p&p.
27
WORKING WITH | YOUR COVER DISKS
Format a standard double-sided, double-density disk from the desktop.
Power-up your ST with Cover Disk #1 in the disk drive. You should see a brief loading screen telling you that a 350K RamDisk is being loaded into memory. Hf you start up in low resolution, change to medium resolution.
EST |S [HERAT bates used 8 15 Tt wasic LIS 67357 | masic Pas 138834 | wasic TT Mee | HOSKIN 6]
(Figure A); the one labelled P:\ is a RamDisk which is going to be used to get some of the pro- grams onto the disk you've | f r formatted. Grab the six ise Ms 16H programs in the bottom | Weeleer (es 003 right window and drag them to window P:\ (Figure B). These will now be loaded from Cover Disk #1 into RamDisk P.
Double-click on |ABBREV.TOS in P:\; it will go through a
self-extraction procedure and should result ina folder called ABBREV. Drag the |ABBREV.TOS file window P:\ to the trashcan and delete it (Figure C). “2
S990] bates ased in 15 ites asic LIS 67357 |
TMORSHFT TOs (PICULBA Tes
Put your disk into the disk drive, grab the six folders on P:\ and drag them to the icon for disk drive A. The 6 folders and 20 files will then be copied to your disk.
Put Cover Disk #1 back in the drive and delete the AUTO folder. This will ensure that the RamDisk doesn’t load into memory when you start working with HiSoft BASIC 1.
Turn the ST off and power-up with Cover Disk #2 in the disk drive. Grab |Hopping.PRG and |Train.PRG in the bottom right window and drag them to window P:\.
Put your disk back in the drive, grab the two programs in P:\ and drag them to the icon for disk drive A. The two files will
be copied to your disk.
Finally put Cover Disk #2 back in the drive and delete the AUTO folder. This will ensure that the RamDisk doesn’t load into memory when you start working with Dr Tiricc. Turn your ST off, put whichever disk you want to start with into the drive, power-up and away you go.
With two major programs, a couple of games and various utilities, you’re bound to be chomping at the bit. But first, follow these instructions. ..
DEGAS & NEOCHROME VIEWER
PICVIEW * MIN MEMORY 0.5MB « APPLICATION BY DESKTOP DESIGNS
If you have lots of Degas and Neochrome pictures and need to see them quickly, PicView fits the bill perfectly
Users of NEODESK will know of the picture file viewer; double- click on any .NEO files and view them instantly. PicView provides this facility via two programs.
NeoView works with Neochrome pictures (.NEO) which are only in low resolution. Click on NEOVIEW.PRG to highlight it and go to Install Applications under the Options heading in the menu bar. Set the Document Type to NEO, the Application Type to GEM and click on Install. Now double-click on any .NEO file to instantly view it from the desktop. If you are in high or medium resolution, you can still view the picture albeit incorrectly.
DegasView works with high, medium or low resolution (PI3, PI2 or Pl1) Degas pictures. Click on the DEGAVIEW.PRG to highlight it, go to Install Applications under the Options head- ing in the menu bar, set the Document Type to PI?, the Application Type to GEM and click on Install. Now double-click on any .PI? file to view it from the desktop. If you’re in the wrong resolution, you'll be able to see a version of the shot.
Having set up the application, try double-clicking on NOFIRE1.NEO or NOFIRE1.PI1 to display the excellent example that we have included. Once you've seen them, just click on either mouse button.
VCLOCK
VCLOCK 1.4 * MIN MEMORY 0.5MB = DESK ACCESSORY BY STEVE WILSON
VClock is the ultimate ST clock desk accessory
— once you've seen it you'll never be without it!
Copy the VCLOCK.ACC, VCLOCK.RSC and VCLOCK.INF to your boot disk. Re-start your ST and you should find VClock V1.4 under the Desk menu heading. Click on this in order to make VClock appear.
Unless you have a clock cartrid clock chip in a hard Grive, the chances are that thec t time will not be shown Use CONTROL.ACC, the standard Atari ST desk accessory, to set the correct time
To resize VClock, simply click on any point inside the clock- face and drag the rectangle which appears to the size you wish. If you click inside the window, it will automatically resize to the point you have clicked. To get rid of it, click in the top left-hand corner box
To configure VClock to your personal taste, hold down the Control key and left-click in the window to bring up the Display Options box. Here you can select between analogue and digital display and whether the date and seconds are shown. The background and foreground colours can also be chosen. Click on Save and VClock will start up in exactly the way that you want it to each time
A .PRG version is also included for use with Mu/tiTOS when it becomes available.
°
Desk File View Options
Hard Da SK F
ISLAND HOPPING
ISLAND HOPPING * MIN MEMORY 0.5MB * COLOUR ONLY » PROGRAM BY JOHN SHEPHERD
This Bounder clone will bring back memories. A well-constructed, five-level game to keep you amused
A variety of obstacles await the unwary in this bounce-'’em- up. It's a good example of what can be done with a little imagination and a good knowledge of STOS programming. Double clicking on |HOPPING.PRG reveals a delightful title screen and a list of special tiles. These include number tiles (score points), green slime (slows you down), shield (limited indestructibility), teleports, diamond (extra time in bonus games), stepping stones (dangerous - they sink!), springers (for bigger jumps) and the champions cup for an extra life. Pressing space will then take you on to the level selection screen. Start on level one, press fire and away you go. Con-
ABBREVIATOR ST « MIN MEMORY 0.5MB * PROGRAM OR DESK ACCESSORY
Fed up with making spelling errors? Abbreviator ST can automatically alter them for you
Abbreviator ST \ets you type in an abbreviation into any soft- ware supporting text such as a word processor, desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database and so on, and then expands it to its full size automatically.
Put the ABBREV.ACC and SAMPLE.ABR files onto your boot-up disk and re-start your ST; Abbrev. ST should appear under the Desk heading. Click on this to drop down the Abr- reviator ST Trial window. You should see seven abbreviations in the list, courtesy of the American writer; this demo version allows you to have up to nine abbrevia- tions in memory at once, while the full version allows hundreds (you can see the greyed out scroll bars on the right side of the abbreviation list). All of the other i is functions work in this ‘ pe edited excellent demo. j hon Monday
‘ im occured occurred
Create lets you key in recieve receive an abbreviation andits |) ji” jiffy cdon expansion, Edit (dou- ble-click on an
Eo abbreviation) allows SEMEL Delete | Print | Capt | Save | Exit | you to change an exist- —
ing insertion, Delete gets rid of a single entry while Clear empties out all abbreviations. Load and Save (active in this demo) effectively let you have a different file per program that you use and Print allows you to keep a hardcopy of your abbreviations. Capt is very useful; it captures the last 200 keystrokes and then lets you edit the result as a single abbreviation.
Config allows you to set-up Abbreviator ST for your com- puter. The Buffer Size is the amount of memory taken up, which can be a minimum with this demo version and the Hotkey lets you turn Abbreviator on and off.
If you simply want to edit abbreviations, change the .ACC extender to .PRG and double-click on the program - Capture won't work, but other facilities remain the same.
trol is simple; forward to go forward, back to go back, It’s wise to keep moving forwards, as you'll need the extra time it buys you later on. The hardest job is selecting the route that’ll get you onto the next island and, if you're anything like us, you'll be addicted before long!
666125
29
DCMSHIFT » MIN MEMORY 0.5MB « AUTO PROGRAM
The right mouse button doesn’t do much, right? Wrong — not when you use DC Mouse Shift!
DC Mouse Shift can emulate the Control, Alternate or either of the Shift keys making many mixtures of keyboard and mouse commands much easier to perform.
Double-click on DCMSHIFT.PRG from the desktop and decide which of the four available keys you want the right button to emulate; you are offered each of them in turn. You then have to decide whether you want DC Mouse Shift to work only from the desktop or in programs as well. Once you have finished config- uring the program, place it in the Auto folder on your boot-up disk; if you haven't got one already, create one using the New Folder option under the File menu heading. Now re-boot and you should see a panel appear telling you that DC Mouse Click is active.
How does DC Mouse Shift make life easier? A couple of exam- ples: If you set it up to emulate either of the Shift keys, you can select lots of individual files by holding down the right button and clicking with the left: If you have TOS 1.4 or higher (Mega STE, STE and some MEGAs), assign the Control key to the right button and move files by holding down the right button and dragging with the left.
TURBO ST 1.6d DEMO * MIN MEMORY 0.5MB * DESK ACCESSORY
Turbo ST gave a very favourable showing in our tests on screen accelerators in this issue. Ride the fast lane for 15 minutes ... Turbo ST has been around for four years and is felt by many to be the best screen accelerator when used under typical condi-
tions. Place TURBOST.ACC on your boot disk and restart the ST. You'll find Turbo ST Demo under the Desk heading.
TRAIN SET 11 DEMO » MIN MEMORY 0.5MB - COLOUR ONLY » PROGRAM Put your station master’s hat on for this one and run your own rail network!
You are the controller of a rail network and have to supervise the collection of the mail. Each train is sent out by you (or the computer if you’re too slow!) and has it’s own colour coded mail to pick up. Your mission is to guide the trains around the track by clicking on the intersections to get them to pick up the right coloured mail. If you get the wrong colour, then that junction will explode and be out of service for the rest of the game. Your repaired train
two trains collide.
At each junction, you have the option to send the train in each of three direc- tions, and each train has its own timetable. There is a gauge of when the trains are due to leave so you can judge when to release them and which way they're going.
Each train is con- trolled by using its individual, colour-
at the bottom right
= will be returned to the station and you — can start again. The game is over when
all the mail is collected, if you pick up
the wrong coloured mail four times or
coded control panel |
IT'S THE COPS!
SIREN = MIN MEMORY 0. 5MB * DESK ACCESSORY.
It’s silly season time with Siren, the manic police car desk accessory
Siren sends a police car along the bottom of your screen along with siren and engine sounds. The frequency of its appearance is set via the SETSIREN.PRG.
Place SIREN.ACC onto your boot disk and re-power. Dou- ble-click on SETSIREN.PRG, locate the copy of SIREN.ACC that you are using and enter the new time interval in minutes and seconds - try using 60 min- utes for the equivalent of an hour chime!
Be careful not to set the time interval too short; each time the police car appears, it stops the ST in the mid- die of whatever it is doing, including saving to disk or loading a file!
Desk File View Options
Review A
To instantly see the effect of having Turbo ST installed, click on Desktop Info... under the Desk heading and see the informa- tion box instantly appear. Now click on Turbo ST Demo and click on the Remove box to disable it. Select Desktop Info... again, but this time you'll see it scroll down instead of immediately appearing. Convinced?
This demo will run Desk File View Uptions
ge then de-install itself; if | ik you are running a GEM program, a dialogue box will appear and a bell will ring to tell you; with a TOS pro- gram, you will get the bell and the screen changing colours for two seconds.
urbe, ST dane sergion. ts Om. teree se fTre
| i
mine | 7 i Vibe VW at ' }) aaa J | —, : \ f
AIR WARRIOR
Fly the most accurate flight simulator ever created. Fly against the most deadly opponent known, real people! From bi-planes of WWI to jets of the Korean War, know what it was really like to fly. Air Warrior simulates the world of the real ACE.
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“game dynamics impossible to duplicate in conventional computer simulation.””» Omni
“incredibly realistic flight simulator.””. What PC
Amiga, Mac Color & Mono, PC and ST £34.99
Air Warrior includes: Two comprehensive manuals, Campaign Map, Terminal/Off-line Trainer, Data disks, Free Host membership. £30 of connect credit. Modem offer
For further information call On-line on 081-558 6114. 642a Lea Bridge Road, London E106AP. Host 081-539 6763.
THIS COMPILATION © 1992 U.S.GOLD LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ATARI MEGA ST
MEGA STE OMb......... , MEGA STE IMb......... £429.00 MEGA STE 2Mb.......... £499.00 MEGA STE 4Mb.........
ALL MEGA STE'S EXCLUDE MONO MONITOR
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All Gasteiner Mega G.M.D52Mb 11ims Quantum Mechanics......... Sn £309.00 Drives are auto parking G.M.D 105Mb 11ms Quantum Mechanics ..........:s:cceseseeeeeees £399.00 and auto booting and G.M.D 50Mb 24ms Seagate Mechanics............ccsscccceesseeeeens £289.00 come with many different capacities. 12 months back to base guarantee, full metal BONED 0 Dama oop ndsacteenccegeaeot cco nccek putoes she a £229.00 case, integral power MS IVN a 8 F99Soae oc ress sesecins cats adnde hone as seneceens vats sanceoicest RARER gee £329.00 supply Back-up aU a 6c oo nn ee a er oe. £529.00 software, D.MLA'cable
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EX! MONT
HARD DISKS ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED ABOUT MASS STORAGE
Next month the ST search- light will be centring on hard drives for your ST as we look to see which are the best for your system.
don’t they? Or are you still quite
content to wade around a desk covered in disks? Not a cheap item, a hard drive remains an essential pur- chase for anyone who wants to store data - whether programs or text files - or for anyone who wants to get the best out of their machine.
And to get that extra something, we'll be looking at the best drives on the market - from 40 MB drives which give you enough storage space for your working programs to top-of-the- range models that are removable metal disks that can store over 40 MB and give you portable mass storage.
If you need more memory, don’t for- get to find out about it before you buy.
i verybody wants a hard drive,
p= -- ProFile
MONITORS - Think that your eyesight makes the Atari desktop look a bit fuzzy on your colour TV screen? Think again Once you've experienced the difference that a colour monitor makes you'll never change. Unless of course you need the ST’s high resolution mono mode. We'll be viewing both colour and high resolution B&W monitors.
TUNE UP YOUR ST - Turn your ST
into a rip-roaring Mac-beater as Andrew Wright looks at Replacement
THERE IS NO
File Selectors that give you more con- trol over your files
FAXMODEMS - Designer technology that offers amazing value for money For the same price as a mid-range fax machine you can have the convenience of a high-speed modem and a fax that prints directly to your screen
FOR GAMESPLAYERS
They always said that there’d be nothing at Kick Off but Sensible
OR
Soccer is the strongest contender for the Jules Rimet trophy of computer sports games. Will it take Kick Off s crown? Plus a new-I« VFM section will give you C wn on even more budget games tian ever before
ON DISK
A full commercial utility that just about everyone can use, plus a few sur- prises. How can we top this month’‘s amazing giveaways? Just wait until next month to find out
MAGAZINE FOR PEOPLE
WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR MACHINE
THE
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ATARI ST Review is the biggest and best ST magazine available. With sharp, incisive writing by dedicated ST journalists, ATARI ST Review carries massive, Which- style comparison tests, step-by-step hardware and software tutorials, and exclusive reviews of hardware, games and productivity software.
We'll tell our readers which ST products give value-for- money — and we'll be taking the lead among ST magazines by offering massive VFM ourselves. The products that do well in our tests will carry our seal of approval — and our Essential Buy badge....
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receiving the ONLY authoritative guide to ST entertainment and much more.
Choose from one of the following classic Gremlin Graphics games, the Degas graphics program or the IMPrint guide.
© Pegasus © Suspicious Cargo © Hero Quest
© Video Kid © Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge 2 © Degas Elite = Imprint
Battle Satan on your winged | companion, Pegasus, as the Dark Lord of the underworld wealds ultimate rule over the entire
mortal world.
SUSPICIOUS CARGO
An interactive adventure game, where our hero Jonah Hayes and his dodgy tramp freighter,
travel through space with a valuable cargo - but one that's alive!
HERO QUEST
Take up the challenge to become a hero and enter the under-ground realm of the evil
wizard Morcar. ‘But beware, the unlit tunnels hold many dangers!
VIDEO KID
several graphic file formats and lets you create your own works of art thanks to its comprehensive list of professional design functions.
IMPRINT
IMPrint for the Atari Mega and ST series is a gem of a program
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AFFORDABLE
There are a lot of 9- pin dot matrix printers still
2 hese old workhorses still sell available these T: large numbers, although
24-pin and inkjet machines have dropped in price. Go to any computer show and you will see streams of people head- ing home clutching their
days. While some are specialised and
new 9Q-pin printers.
majority will Visit your local " garage or builders’ suit almost merchant and your
bill will almost certainly appear from a grimy 9-pin printer. People on a tight
budget, whether at home or in the office, and businesses that need fast reliable printing of invoices and miscellaneous sta- tionery that doesn’t need to be of the highest quality, are the main users of this type of printer
Home and business users look for different things from a 9-pin printer. The home user needs a fairly fast machine which is easy to use and has a decent selection of typefaces; while the business user will want the fastest, most reliable printer with good paper handling. The range that is cur- rently available is enough to suit both groups
NINE PINS
The print head has a vertical row of nine needles which are 1/72 of an inch apart and strike the paper through a ribbon. Characters are made of dots which are usually organised in a 9 by 11 grid pat- tern
Draft printing uses the minimum number of dots to make up a character - if you look closely you should be able to count them, and also see that they are quite large. Best quality (Near Letter Quality) printing makes the characters seem more solid by going over them once, moving the paper by a fraction, and then going over them again. You can still see the dots in NLQ print outs but they appear less obvious because of the overlap.
On all machines the printing of draft text is bi-directional (one line printed left to right, then down to the next line which is printed right to left) whereas, on the cheaper machines at least, NLQ printing is unidirectional (each line is gone over twice in the same direction). This explains why draft printing is often four times as fast as NLQ.
any pocket, with prices ranging from £100 to £300. John Mallinson takes a look at the most popular printers and delivers his verdict
PAPER
Paper feeding options can be criti- cal in a printer that is going to be used for business. Any printer can use single sheets loaded by hand, while even the cheapest machines can be fitted with a cut sheet feeder, and all of them have some sort of tractor mechanism with spiked wheels or bands which grip the sides of perforated paper (variously known as com- puter, listing, or fanfold paper)
Single sheet loading can be semi-automatic: you position the paper, then press a button or pull a lever to advance the paper round the roller. Fully automatic loading does it for you when the printer detects that there is a sheet in the right position. Either method can result in scrunched- up paper which you have to retrieve by hand.
Tractor mechanisms either push the paper into the printer and round the roller to the print head, or pull it out of the printer, drag- ging it past the print head. Both have advantages and disadvan- tages which is why many printers have both. Push tractors behind the print head give you the conve- nience of tearing off the paper at exactly the length you want so you won't waste much. Also you can put fanfold paper back into the machine and out of the way so that you can print the odd sin- gle sheet, or use the sheet feeder, without having to remove the continuous paper altogether
Pull tractors above the print
WHY BUY A 9-PIN?
head control the paper movement more precisely (and therefore may improve print quality), and are usually recommended for labels or multi-part forms which can get scrumpled if pushed Some machines with pull tractors also have a loading slot in the bottom of the printer; this gives the paper @ straighter path to the print head which lessens the risk of jam- ming. It also makes labels less likely to come off their backing and gum.up the works.
NOISE
Noise is the biggest problem with all dot matrix printers. Fingernails on a blackboard are worse, but the high pitched tearing noise from printers can be unpleasant enough. In general the more expensive the machine, the better built it will be and the more money will have been spent on silencing it. Some printers have a “quiet print” mode, which works by doubling the number of passes the print head makes per line (and thus halving the print speed).
CHEAP COLOUR
Several 9-pin printers can print in colour by using a special CMYK ribbon. C stands for cyan (blue), M for magenta (purplish red), Y for yellow, and K is black. The rib- bon is effectively four colour ribbons joined edge to edge, so to print the different colours it has to be moved up and down in front of the pins of the print head. This is done by a small motor.
“kL 7 AN
By printing the four basic colours over each other you can end up with seven in all - green, for instance, is produced by print- ng a line in yellow and then over-printing it in cyan. The result of this is that colour printing is slow. It is also three or four times more expensive than printing with a black ribbon
There are several graphics pro- grams which let you draw or print colour pictures - Degas and IMPrint are two examples. The DTP program PageStream can produce colour on a Q9-pin printer, but don't expect marvellous results. The word processors Pro- text and First Word Plus have colour printer drivers, so you can ven up your letters or projects with snappy coloured headings. If you are thinking of getting a our model you may find an ST dealer who will sell it with some nd of colour printing utility which will at least let you do Solour screen dumps.
Are the results worth the extra cost? It’s certainly fun, and to get anything much better you have to pay a great deal more Having said that, the results are fairly crude and the range of colours is limited. Solid blocks of colour look good, but don’t expect any subtle shading. The print outs tend to be rather stripy, which is a feature of all graphics printing on dot matrix printers. The Bugs Bunny picture opposite, which was produced via IMPrint on a Citizen Swift 9 is pretty typical of the results you can get.
THE TESTS
We've looked at these machines from the point of view of their design, build and ease of use, and also their speed and print quality There are great differences in speed, but surprisingly little varia- tion in print quality between them, though some have more and better fonts. They were timed with text pages using their inter- nal fonts with two standard word processors, Protext and First Word Plus. They were also timed whilst printing a page of text and graph- ics from That's Write, which prints n graphics mode - much slower, but giving a wide selection of typefaces
The four colour models were also tried out using /MPrint, a sim- ple and inexpensive program which gives you a fair degree of control over how your graphics will appear.
Oo
The most basic machine in Seikosha’s large range of dot matrix printers may not be the smartest looking, but then looks aren't everything...
Paper feed possibilities on this machine are single sheet with semi-automatic loading, push tractor, or an additional cut sheet feeder. You can even park fanfold paper out of the way so that you can use single sheets without unloading it.
On the control panel there are four LEDs and four membrane- type switches which control the usual functions of switching between draft and NLQ, changing typeface and so on. For additional operations, such as changing type pitch and margin setting, you operate a menu system from the control panel. The options are printed on the cover over the print mechanism; you select them by using the control buttons to move the print head against them and then press the Set button. This is an effective alternative to a greater assortment of control panel but- tons and lights
TYPEFACES
There are two NLO typefaces, Serif and Sans Serif. Both are clear and legible and the draft font is
The Seikosha SP-1900 +s font printouts are a bit faint, but quite readable.
Seikosha SP-1900
Draft mode abcdett
Serif abcdefg Sans serif abcdef
Italic, bold, und¢ J
Seikosha’s budget SP-1900+.
acceptable. Seikosha supplies either fabric or carbon ribbons for its machines: the carbon ribbon gives sharper characters.
Although it lacks some of the features of pricier models, the SP- 1900+ is easy to set up. The absence of a pull tractor and bot- tom feed, the minute print buffer and the limited number of fonts are signs of cost cutting. It is noisy and one of the slowest mod- els tested, but you can put that down to the price
“Light and small, simple to use, very cheap”
NAME: SEIKOSHA SP-1900+ COMPANY: SEIKOSHA
UK LTD
CONTACT: 0753 685873
PRICE: £155
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
EPSON LX-400
One of the better machines on test, with a higher price that reflects its quality
Epson makes no bones about it in its glossy printer guide: 9-pin dot matrix printers are for printing out data (listings, labels and the like), not for word processing or DTP. In the business market they are probably right, but they seem to be overlooking the people with a mortgage who have to _ take money out of their own wallets to buy computer gear.
This is a very clean-looking machine, simple in design, basic in functions. Paper feeding is by single sheets with semi-automatic loading, or pull tractor with rear loading. The tractor arrangement is rather crude as the mechanism is not built-in: you have to remove the paper guide from the top of the machine, take out a plastic plug and then slot in the tractor unit. This only takes 10 seconds, but it makes swapping between fanfold and single sheets rather annoying and leaves you with plastic bits on your desk. Another possibility is to use the optional paper roll holder, especially usefu! for labels.
SWITCHES
On the control panel there are three membrane switches and four lights, and everything is unambiguously labelled. You can switch between NLQ and draft quality, and Roman and Sans Serif typefaces very easily, but adjust- ing the print pitch (10, 12 or
The Epson LX-400 produces average quality printing at a low price.
Epson LX-400 Draft mode abcdef¢ Roman abcdefg Sans serif abcdef,
Italic, bold, und
Epson's elegant LX-400.
17cpi) is an intricate business.
It involves going into what is called SelecType mode and then pressing one of the switches so many times for 10 pitch, so many times for 17 - all with no guid- ance, apart from a few bleeps. The market leader should do bet- ter than this.
This machine looks better made than many, and it also printed text faster than its manufacturer's specifications would suggest. It is quieter than some.
In value for money terms the Epson LX-400 doesn't score too well as you can get machines at this price that do more - but then they aren't Epsons!
“A neat machine, basic in functions, looks solid”
NAME: EPSON LX-400 COMPANY: EPSON UK LTD CONTACT: 0442 61144 PRICE: £169
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
Panasonic's cheapest machine gives the competition a run for
its money
Although the price of this machine s low, the features are all there. As you might expect, construction s flimsy compared to more expensive machines, but it looks as if it should stand reasonably heavy use. There is a full range of paper feed options: single sheet with semi-automatic loading, push tractor with paper loaded from the rear, pull tractor with paper fed from below, and an optional cut sheet feeder. Most printers have separate mecha- nisms for push and pull: you either move the tractor device from one position on the machine another, or the pull device is an extra. The Panasonics use the same built-in mechanism for both, which makes life simpler.
FUNCTION MODE
The front panel has decently sized and clearly labelled membrane- type switches. You can go into a Function mode to set typeface, print pitch, and paper length using a clearly laid out chart with LED’s to show what you are
doing. Since most settings can be made from the front you shouldn't need to use the dip switches which lurk inside the machine under a plastic cover. You won't This machine has three NLQ fonts, but Prestige & Bold PS are rather busy.
Panasonic KX-P117 Draft mode abcdef Courier abcdefg Prestige abcdefg Bold PS abcdetg Italic, bold, und
Lots of features in Panasonic's cheapest the KX-P1170
need to refer to the manual often, but it is quite useful.
Text printing is fast, but the graphic text printed from That’s Write took a long time. There are three decent NLQ fonts, and the draft font is easily readable.
This machine is easy to set up and use. It has no obvious draw- backs and there are more facilities than on most other machines at the price
“Lots of features, good value for money”
PANASONIC KX-P1170 PANASONIC BUSINESS SYSTEMS 0344 853943 £185
9-Pin Printers Tested
The sophisticated “older brother” of the SP-1900 packs in a lot of features at alow price
The size, weight and shape of this printer are identical to those of the SP-1900, but this one offers more features. The control panel looks classier, with membrane switches which appear to be _ sculpted, though they aren’t. Another, more dubious, improvement is the addi- tion of bleeps and squeaks which you unfortunately can’t turn off. More usefully though, the print buffer has been enlarged to 18K (about 10 pages of type) and there is a built-in serial interface as well as the parallel one. Paper feeding is the same - single sheets, optional sheet feeder, push trac- tor. The other main improvements are in printing speed and the number of typefaces available.
DRAFT MODES
There are three draft depending on the character pitch used. Normal draft is at 10cr
speed draft at 12 cp speed at 15cpi. This line length and hence a
modes
nich goes
N normal
t 23 seconds in
Ur speec
The Seikosha SP-2400: you'll find two or three that you like out of this group.
Seikosha SP-1900 Draft mode abcdef Sans serif abcdef Courier abcdefg
Prestige abcdefg
Scripkd abcdegg Gothic abcdefg Italic, bold, und!
TheSeikosha SP- 2400 — the faster elder brother of the 1900+.
The five NLQ typefaces are Courier, Sans Serif, Prestige, a rather untidy Script and a medium bold Gothic sans serif. You're unlikely to find a printer driver to let you switch between them from software (this applies to many of the other printers as well), but you can select them from the control panel before printing.
Typeface, margins, and print pitch are set using the same menu system as on the SP-1900. As mentioned before, this is a slightly crude but straightforward way of doing things.
SEIKOSHA SP-2400 SEIKOSHA UK LTD 0753 685873 £199
39
AEG OLYMPIA STAR LC-20
SEIKOsHA SF
If you like things plain and simple, this machine will definitely appeal to you
You are much more likely to find this printer in an office equipment retailer than in your high street computer store. It is remarkably heavy for an 80-column printer, weighing more than the two Seikoshas put together - if weight means sturdiness then this must be a well-built machine
You are not given many paper feed options. The choice is simply between single sheets with semi- automatic loading or fanfold using the push tractor. It was the only machine on test without an optional sheet feeder, and even loading single sheets is not made very easy.
On all other machines the paper load button or lever advances sin- gle sheets to the correct position for the top of the page. Not here. You have to release the paper lever at the right moment or the sheet will foul the printer’s top cover and you will have to wind it back by hand. This suggests that it was only really designed for use with fanfold paper.
SIRENS
Another particularly irritating fea- ture is the little snatch of electronic melody, resembling a police siren, that it plays when it runs out of paper. Life is noisy enough without this.
The AEG Olympia NP 60: not much choice here, but it has a true italic font.
AEG Olympia NP 60 Draft mode abcdef
italic, bold, und
2400
Simple but over- priced, the AEG NP 60.
The control panel is very simple, and contains four modestly-sized membrane switches. Alongside it, under a sliding cover, is a bank of dip switches. There’s little chance of confusion here about which font you have selected as there are only two: draft and an anonymous NLQ. Neither are interesting, but both are legible.
Printing speed is reasonable for the price. On the other hand, the price seems much too high for a printer with such a low overall specification.
NAME: AEG OLYMPIA NP 60
COMPANY: AEG OLYMPIA CONTACT: 0753 630111 PRICE: £199
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
\DDITIONAL PRICES FABRIC RIBBON: £4.48 SERIAL INTERFACE: £30
OVERALL
Star’s budget model is easy to use and has a good range of fonts
This printer superseded Star's best-selling LC-10 last year - although it has a higher list price than some, it’s heavily discounted in the shops and therefore often actually turns out to be one of the cheapest to buy.
The styling of this machine is simple, but it does look a little old- fashioned when you compare it with some of Star's other models. The build quality seems to be ade- quate, although you can’t really expect to buy a heavy duty printer at this price.
The paper options include single sheet with semi-automatic load- ing, optional cut sheet feeder, and a built-in push tractor. There is only the rear loading path for fan- fold paper and there is no pull tractor option .
CONTROLS
On the control panel there are four buttons and 10 lights. They are labelled clearly and you shouldn't need to spend more than a few minutes reading the manual to learn all you need to know about setting up and running this fairly simple machine.
From the control panel you can choose to swap between three of the NLQ typefaces. These are in this case Courier, Sans Serif and Orator, the latter being larger than the others and all in capitals. There is a second Orator font which has upper and lower case
Star LC-20: clean and legible font printing.
Star LC-20
Draft mode abcdef Courier abcdefg Sans serif abcdef ORATOR (CAPS) ABC Orator abcdefg Italic, bold, und
The LC-20, an excellent budget bargain from Star.
and which can be easily selected from software.
Star's typefaces are simple, clear, and they do print quite well. The manufacturers have avoided the temptation of having compli- cated twiddly typefaces which really can't be expected to print well on this type of machine.
The noise level from the LC-20 is about average for a cheap machine and there is a quiet print- ing option which, as is often the case, cuts noise and speed in pro- portion. Unfortunately, it tends to make printing excessively slow, and this will perhaps make the user more inclined to put up with the noise
“Easy to use, Pleasant fonts, good value”
NAME: STAR LC-20 COMPANY: STAR MICRONICS UK LTD CONTACT: 0494 471111 PRICE: £199
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
Cheap colour printing and a well-written manual make this printer good value
The Citizen Swift 9 has been around for a couple of years but has all the features of more recent machines and can give you colour at a reasonable price
It doesn’t seem as solidly con- structed as some, but Citizen backs it with a two-year warranty This is a noisy machine, but there is a quiet mode which prints at a lower speed.
CONTROLS
The control panel is a nice feature. One four-position switch controls four menus, each with four but- tons for their four items. There is a built-in tractor for push feed which you can move to the top of the machine and use for pull feed from the back or through a bottom slot. There are two types of sheet feeder. One is automatic, while the other, costing less, is more of @ paper stacker and you have to pull a lever to load each sheet
The colour apparatus is easy to install, and you can use an ordi-
The Citizen Swift 9 - Times is rather clogged up, but the others are good.
Citizen Swift 9 Draft mode abcdefg¢ Times roman abcdei \Sans serif abcdef Courier abcdefg Magenta
‘Violet |\Yellow | Orange 'Green
Italic, bold, und
M-1309 Citizen Swift 9-a colour machine shown here in mono.
nary black ribbon without taking the colour moto
n. Print-
ing is reasonab nd there are three NLQ ty s (Times, Sans Serif, ar The Swift 9 comes é ty manual, which is well-written and clear.
“Versatile, good controls, but noisy”
CITIZEN SWIFT 9 CITIZEN EUROPE
0895 272621 £239
9-Pin Printers Tested
Brother's only 9-pin printer offers five typefaces
This is Brother’s only 9-pin, apart from its wide carriage version, the 1709 (£345). It’s smaller and lighter than some and has a decent selection of fonts.
Paper feed arrangements are for single sheets, optional cut sheet feeder, or tractor. The tractor is normally installed in the push position for paper fed in through the back but can be quite easily moved to the top of the machine so that paper can be pulled in from the bottom or back. There are two plastic legs which you flip out to raise the back of the printer to give more ground clearance when using bottom feed. Loading is semi-automatic at the touch of a button, but, should the paper go in crooked, there is no way of releasing the roller to reposition it manually - you have to eject the paper and start again. (Not many printers these days seem to have a roller release lever.) Fanfold paper can be parked out of the way to put in single sheets
COMPLICATIONS
The control panel arrangement compares _ badly with other machines such as the Panasonics. Six multi-function buttons with lights mean that there are no dip switches, but you have to reach
The Brother M-1309 offers a nice selection of well printed fonts.
Brother M~-1309 Draft mode abcdef Prestige abcdefg Quadro abcdefg Brougham abcdefg Gothic abcdefg Italic, bold,
Brother's competent M-1309
for the book if you want to change the defaults. There are a series of tutorials to guide you through the intricacies of this menu system.
There are five typefaces, includ- ing the draft font. In NLQ mode you are offered Prestige, Gothic, Brougham (a slightly different serif face) and Quadro (a squarish sans serif). Of these Gothic, which is the simplest, prints best. Print speed is good for its price.
“A reasonable performer, but relatively expensive”
BROTHER M-1309 BROTHER BUSINESS MACHINES 071 387 5060 £239
41
42
9-pin Printers Tested
STAR LC-200
This colour printer offers lots of extra features
Star was one of the first firms to sell colour dot matrix printers but, unlike most other manufacturers, it doesn’t sell colour kits which can be used to convert ordinary machines. It’s probably cheaper to do it this way so you may get bet- ter value.
Even if you’re not interested in its colour facilities, the LC-200 has a lot of features which still make it well worth considering.
Paper feeding is by single sheets with semi-automatic loading, optional sheet feeder, push tractor from the rear, pull tractor with paper fed from below. The tractor arrangement is very similar to that on the Panasonics: only one mechanism for both push and pull. You can get a paper roll hold- er as well.
SPEED
This is not the fastest of the machines that we tested, but for- tunately it does make up for the lack of speed by offering good print quality.
You are given the choice of four NLQ fonts - Courier, Sans Serif, Script, and Orator, which uses small and large capitals through-
The Star LC-200: four more good fonts from Star.
Star LC=-200
Draft mode abcdef Sans serif abcdef; Courier abcdefg Sorttpt abcdedg ORATOR ABCDEFG Magenta
G yan
Violet
Orange Green
Italic, bold, u
Colour at a good price — the Star LC-200.
out. There’s no Times or Prestige: as on the LC-20, Star has opted for simple typefaces and the resulting print outs are all the more satisfactory.
Control panel arrangements are simple and clear and, as there are no dip switches, you get tem- plates to go over the panel so you can make the extra configuration settings fairly painlessly.
Colour printing works fine, and a particularly nice feature is that the colour ribbon can be changed to the cheaper black one with very little difficulty.
“Prints well, good value, quiet”
NAME: STAR LC-200 COMPANY: STAR MICRONICS UK LTD
CONTACT: 0494 471111
PRICE: £259
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
o oooc 0600606
OVERALL
OKI ML 280
A printer that puts speed over quality
The external design of this machine, and even the pictures in the manual, are curiously dated. The control panel contains good old-fashioned buttons: these may be a bit wobbly, but they are proper buttons nonetheless.
Some aspects of the construc- tion do seem a little flimsy: fitting the single sheet paper support is a struggle, and looking for the dip switches is similarly alarming - remove a plastic cover and there, down a deep dark hole, is the printed circuit board with the switches sitting right on it.
Another slightly odd feature is that there are different versions which are either Epson or IBM compatible and have either a par- allel or serial interface - this must be quite a headache for the dis- tributors but useful for us.
Unfortunately, the model that was supplied for test was IBM compatible and the lack of a suit- able printer driver meant that we weren't able to assess its graph- ics printing speed with the That’s Write test page.
LIMITATIONS
On a more positive note, the ML 280 is quick; in fact, it's probably one of the fastest machines avail- able at any price, going up to 240cps at 10 pitch or 300 at 12. You are, however, limited to one rather undistinguished NLQ type- face (Courier) or one of two draft modes.
The paper feed options are all there: push tractor, single sheets or optional feeder, pull tractor or paper roll holder, rear or bottom
The Oki ML 280 gives below average print quality.
Oki ML 280 High speed draft
Fast for its price —the OKI ML-280.
loading. Surprisingly, it was also one of the quieter machines.
Overall, this is an easy printer to use and the control panel has none of the potentially confusing multi-function buttons beloved of other manufacturers attempting to save money. Print pitch and quality are clearly indicated by more than the usual number of indicator lights.
This is a machine designed for the more mundane office tasks, in which it should perform well.
“A fast but crude machine, with poor print quality”
NAME: OKI ML 280 COMPANY: OKI SYSTEMS UK LTD
CONTACT: 0753 531292 PRICE: £269
(PARALLEL INTERFACE) £324 SERIAL INTERFACE)
DESIGN ooo CONSTRUCTION ooo EASE OF USE © ooo
INSTRUCTIONS ooo VALUE FOR MONEY oo
RIBBON: £5.95
SHEET FEEDER: £130 PAPER ROLL HOLDER: £30 PULL TRACTOR: £36
OVERALL iy ie
Abeville Leicester Tel: 0533 628182
Kingston Upon Thames Tel: 081 546 9575
Atari Business Centre Nottingham Tel: 0602 810009
Atari Workshop London SE15 Tel: 071 708 5755
Atari Workshop Windsor Tel: 0753 832212
Cambridge Software Royston Tel: 0763 262582
C&P Rossiter Nottingham Tel: 0602 631631
Evesham Micros
Birmingham Tel: 021 458 4564
Evesham Micros Cambridge Tel: 0223 323898
Evesham Micros Evesham Tel: 0386 765180
Fidget Computerware High Wycombe Tel; 0494 533144
Tel: 0532 637988
Gate Seven Computers London W14 Tel; 071 602 5186
HCS Croydon Tel: 081 777 0751
Ladbroke Computing Preston Tel: 0772 203166
Miditech Leeds Tel: 0532 446520
R J Computers Baistol Tel: 0272 566369
Silicon Centre Edinburgh Tel; 031 557 4546
Silica Shop London WIA Tel: 071 629 1234 ext 3914
Silica Shop London W1P Tel: 071 580 4000
Silica Shop Sidcup Tel: 081 309 1111
Softmachine Sunderland Tel: 091 510 2666
Star Computers London NW10 Tel: 081 961 4412
RHS West Yorkshire Tel: 0924 473556
Risetime Tonbridge Tel; 0732 351234
We Serve Portchester Tel: 0705 325354
Write ON™, our low cost word processor, has won great praise from press and users including an ST Format Gold Disk Award. That's Write™ (Write ON's big brother), was designed for the professional user and is now the top selling ST word processor.
Our best-selling PC emulation products range from PC SPEED™, the ideal low cost route to PC computing, to the superfast 16 Mhz 286 AT SPEED C16™., Needless to say our PC emulators work with all STs including the ST(E) and Mega ST(E).
Then there’s C-Font™, a brand new utility program which converts outline fonts from Calamus for
use with Timeworks Publisher 1 and 2, all GDOS programs, and our word processors That's Write and Write ON.
There's more on the way too: coming soon is COMBASE™, a fully relational database and CompoScript™ to print PostScript files to non- PostScript printers ... not to mention our new PostScript font packs and a céntinuous development programme for our existing software.
Want to know more? Just send in the coupon or contact your nearest authorised COMPO dealer.
COMPO
SOFTWARE
Setting New Standards
COMPO Software Ltd, 7 Vinegar Hill, Alconbury Weston, Huntingdon PE17 5JA. Tel: 0480 891819 (sales), 891271 (hotline), 890787 (fax)
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ST /92
Version 4 available from Aug 5th 1992 only £15
DESK OPTIONS RESULTS FIXTURES TABLES UTILS TEXT
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Rar :
el
machine offers optional colour and quiet printing
This is the newest of Panasonic's three 9-pin machines and has a prominent “quiet printing” logo on the box, printer and manual. The print mechanism is better enclosed than most, but the pub- licity material which states that it is “quieter than ink-jet and laser printers” has to be taken with a bushel of salt. A super-quiet mode slows printing to a crawl, but makes it easy on the ear.
Panasonic’s usual full range of paper options are included: single sheets, optional sheet feeder, rear and bottom loading of continuous forms, push and pull tractor.
Single sheets are loaded auto- matically (and accurately) as soon as you slide them down behind the roller.
LAYOUT
The control panel has the same clear layout and ease of use as the other Panasonic models, but the
The Panasonic KX-P2180 offers an interesting mix of six NLQ fonts.
Panasonic KX-P218( Draft mode abcdef¢ Roman abcdefg Sans serif abcdef‘ Courier abcdefg Prestige abcdefg Script abcdedg Bold PS abcdefg Magenta
Cyan | Violet
Orange Green
linia yf
Another star from the Panasonic stable — the KX-P2180.
number of buttons has risen to seven and the lights to 12. Three NLO typefaces (and draft mode) can be selected from the panel, and there are three more which can only be set with software commands. The range of faces is Courier, Prestige, Bold PS, Sans Serif, Script and Roman; they print well but not fast.
NAME: PANASONIC KX- P2180
COMPANY: PANASONIC BUSINESS SYSTEMS CONTACT: 081 550 5209 PRICE: £270
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
© oo ocoG8 6 6 8
RIBBON: £8.50
COLOUR RIBBON: £16
SHEET FEEDER: £89
COLOUR KIT (INC RIBBON): £45 SERIAL INTERFACE: £39
OVERALL 7 7 %
Similar to the LC-20, this printer doesn’t show its age
Superficially, this printer has much in common with the LC-20, but it is in fact the 136-column model of the LC-10 and has been around for nearly three years - quite a long time in the world of 9- pin printers. Its age, however, isn't obvious from its appearance and capabilities.
The limited paper feed options are one drawback with the LC-20 They have been improved upon in this printer by the addition of an optional pull tractor unit - this sits on top of the machine and feeds through a bottom slot.
Single sheet loading takes place at the touch of a button, rather than at the pull of a lever as is the case on the 20 - this may appear to be a minor difference, but it is one which makes it more pleasant to use.
TYPEFACES
This machine shares the type- faces of the LC-20 (Courier, Sans Serif and two versions of Orator), all of which print well.
Star claims that there are eight NLQ fonts for the LC-15: they arrive at this by providing an italic version of each typeface. Most word processors make italics by slanting normal characters; a true italic font has different characters from the upright (Roman) version. Star's italics look slanted but not otherwise different so we've cut the font count back down to four
The Star LC-15: Star’s usual good selection.
Star LC-15
Draft mode abcdef Courier abcdefg Sans serif abcdef ORATOR (CAPS) ABC
Orator abcdefg Italic, bold, und
The inexpensive wide carriage Star LC-15.
in the buyers guide chart which appears on page 52.
Controlling the machine is rela- tively simple. The panel lets you set font (upright or italic), pitch (10, 12, 17 or proportional), and adjust the paper feeding; all of the functions are clearly marked There are two internal banks of dip switches which you shouldn't need to touch.
This is a very satisfactory mid- priced wide carriage machine - it's nothing fancy and isn’t partic- ularly fast, but points in its favour are that it's easy to use and not too noisy
“Good value wide- carriage machine”
NAME: STAR LC-15
COMPANY: STAR MICRONICS UK LTD
CONTACT: 0494 471111
PRICE: £299
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
45
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4
ROPER ERE eR SERB R eR NSBR eh SRN ERR EEN SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSISSESLELSSESSLSESSSIEBB SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSESESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ES OSI SBUBBBBBS83805258RBSR8 338RBBRRRRRRR
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48
The wide carriage Epson LX-1050
pp
Epson’s 132-column model has many plus points, reflected in its price
There are three models in Epson’s LX range, the 400, this 132-col- umn model and the LX-850 which is an 80 column printer of similar design but billed to print slightly faster at 40cps in NLOQ mode. The LX-850 has a list price of £229 (selling for about £143), falling between the Seikosha SL2400 and Brother’s M1809.
Faster than the LX-400, the 1050 and 850 have more expen- sive and smarter control panel buttons and more sophisticated paper feed arrangements, but share its only two NLQ typefaces.
FEEDING
The 1050 has a built-in push trac- tor and optiona! pull tractor, but it can only feed paper from the rear: this is not a serious disadvantage for most domestic users, but other manufacturers usually recom- mend the more direct bottom feed route for multi-part forms and labels. Single sheet feeding at the touch of a button worked very well and didn’t cause the paper jams you might find on other low- priced machines.
There are two draft modes in addition to the Roman and Sans Serif NLQ typefaces. High-speed draft prints at a goodly 200cpi and remains legible
You can make most of the nor-
The Epson LX-1050: little choice but legible.
Epson LX-1050__—isf| |Draft mode abcdefg |Roman abcdefg
Sans serif abcdef
Italic, bold,
mal printer settings from the con- trol panel and there is an unusually accessible bank of 12 dip switches which you probably won't need to touch.
For some reason switching between 10 and 12 pitch has to be done from software (or the dip switches) rather than the panel, although you can select 17cpi (condensed) from there.
This is a high-quality machine which is pleasant to use and works well, but, of course, you have to pay for its virtues
“A good machine with speedy draft modes, not cheap”
NAME: EPSON LX-1050 COMPANY: EPSON UK LTD CONTACT: 0442 61144 PRICE: £329
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
STAR ZA-200
This Star model is surprisingly fast and quiet for its size
This is a massive machine with a bonnet as long as a Cadillac’s. It's a fast, well-constructed, heavily insulated piece of apparatus, made to go on for ever.
It looks much like a grown-up LC-200, better built, with more control panel buttons and options The pull tractor is an optional extra and fits on top. That means that when using it you have the choice of rear or bottom feed. On the Panasonics and _ LC-200, where the same mechanism is used for both push and pull, you can only feed continuous sta- tionery from below. With rear loading on the ZA you can fit the paper onto both push and pull sprockets, which should give you the ultimate in paper stability. There are two optional cut sheet feeders, single and dual bin
TYPEFACES
The four NLQ typefaces are the same as on the LC-200. They don't print better or worse, just one and a half times quicker. Colour printing, too, is obviously speeded up by the ZA’s faster mechanism. A problem with most very fast machines is
The Star ZA-200 gives the expected Star quality. Star ZA-200
A.
minor
Drart mode ancaderd |Sans serif abedef{ |Courier abcdefg Scrtpt abcdetg ORATOR ABCDEFG Magenta
Cyan
Violet
Orange | Green
Italic, bold, und
Fast and quiet - the Star ZA-200.
that they shake as the print head rushes back and forth.
This was the least noisy machine that we tested, better even than Panasonic's “quiet printing” KX-P2180. It shows it can be done, but you have to pay for the assets of better design, construction, and baffling.
This is a very” impressive machine, but it definitely benefits from a large and sturdy desk
“Very high quality, fast and surprisingly quiet”
NAME: STAR ZA-200 COMPANY: STAR MICRONICS UK LTD
CONTACT: 0494 471111
PRICE: £399
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED FEATURES
BLACK RIBBON: £5.50
COLOUR RIBBON: £12.50
SHEET FEEDER (SINGLE BIN): £99 SHEET FEEDER (DUAL BIN): £359 PULL TRACTOR: £34
SERIAL INTERFACE: £69
128K MEMORY: £49
OVERALL R 5"
OKI ML 320
This printer is well suited to business
users
Oki claims that this machine, along with the wide carriage 321 £549), have a third of the market for fast 9-pin printers.
This is a very fast printer, which s well-built and solid. It's proba- bly not the sort of thing the home would consider, but it is extremely well suited to most commercial needs.
Immediate impressions are that
is solid, heavy and well designed - and it is certainly in quite a different class from the much cheaper ML 280.
The machine’s paper handling choices are either single sheets with semi-automatic loading, the optional cut sheet feeder (two varieties), push tractor from the rear, an optional pull tractor from below, or both push and pull from the rear.
FAST AND QUIET
Overall, this was the fastest print- er that we tested - apart, that is, from Oki’s ML 3410 which costs £850 more. In spite of its speed some efficient baffling kept it fairly quiet. It has a quiet printing mode which, as we have seen with other machines, reduces speed by up to half.
There are four typefaces: a dotty high speed draft, a slightly slower and more dense ‘utility’ draft, and Courier and Sans Serif NLQ fonts The NLQ fonts are utilitarian rather than elegant.
This lack of variety of fonts can
user
Oki ML 320 — utilitarian rather than elegant.
High speed draft Utility mode abc Courier abcdefg Sans Serif abcdef Italic, bold, und
Oki's fast and businesslike ML 320.
probably be explained by the obvi- ous concentration on the business market. Oki obviously believes
that its intended users will be more interested in speed than pretty type
The control panel is well
endowed with buttons and indica- tor lights, and overall the printer is very easy to use
Oki has abandoned dip switches for this machine and instead uses a printed out menu system for set- ting up all the defaults. This is quite straightforward, so you won't need to pore over the man- ual to get to grips with it
“Very fast and well-built”
NAME: OKI ML 3320 COMPANY: OKI SYSTEMS UK LTD
CONTACT: 0753 531292 PRICE: £449
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
oOo o.oo DOTTIE) TIO *) IAT * OO. OS, FEATURES oo8see INSTRUCTIONS 9ooco VALUE FOR MONEY =O OOO
ADDITIONAL PRICES RIBBON: £5.95
SHEET FEEDER (SINGLE BIN): £130 SHEET FEEDER (DUAL BIN): £376 PULL TRACTOR: £35
SERIAL INTERFACE: £55
OVERALL
This model follows the other Panasonics in its simplicity and value
Like the other Panasonics, this model is well constructed and easy to use. Paper options include single sheets with optional sheet feeder, front, bottom or rear load- ing of continuous stationery and push and pull tractor
SELECTION
There is a good selection of type- faces (Roman, Sans Serif, Courier, Prestige, Script and Bold PS), all of which are quite attractive. The NLQ printing rate is fast, and draft mode is exceptionally rapid. Nei- ther mode is very noisy, but there is a quiet switch which halves print speed: this reduces the noise from the print head but doesn’t silence the print mechanism. Control panel arrangements are like those on other models in the Panasonic range, although there are some extra options make a variety of settings length, NLQ font
etc) and then save them t
You can
default
Ss memory off, and can be d at the touch of a couple of
The Panasonic KX-P1695 offers a good variety of legible fonts.
Panasonic raat Draft mode abcdef Roman abcdefg ‘Sans serif abcdefg ‘Courier abcdefg |Prestige abcdefg Script abcdedg
Bold PS abcdefg Italic, bold, und¢
® o
The Panasonic KX-P1695 — fast, wide carriage printing at a rea- sonable price.
buttons. You can also print out a list of the macros settings.
There are no dip switches here, instead the emulation, character table and so on are changed from the control panel - you probably won't need to do this more than once but you will then need to refer to the manual
If you need a versatile, fast, and very reasonably priced wide car- riage printer you really need to look no further.
“Good value, fast, easy to use”
NAME: PANASONIC KX-P1695
COMPANY: PANASONIC BUSINESS SYSTEMS CONTACT: 081 550 5209 PRICE: £495
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
DSOATO *) DOTS A) DOT *) SiG BOG DIDI OTOD) TT OTIID | + C35) 65 05
49
PREMIER MAIL ORDER
Titles marked * are not yet available and will be sent on day of release.
cheques payable to Premier Mail Order. Please state make and model of computer when ordering. P&P inc. UK on orders over £5.00. Less than £5.00 and Europe add £1.00 per item. Elsewhere please add £2.00 per item for Airmail. These offers are available Mail order only..Telephone orders: mon-Fri 9!am-7pm. Si ‘ 10am-4pm. Fax orders : 0268 590076. Tel Orders : 0268 - 590766
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Graham Gooch"
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3D Construction Kit 26.99 Hard Driven Rainbow Collection 4D Boxing” 16.99 Harlequin 16.99 Rainbow Islands 6,99 4D Driving 19 99 Head Over Heels 6.99 | Rambo 3 6.99 | Cheetah 125+ ......cccesscssseseseaeee £6.99 4 Wheel Drive 19.99 | Heimdall (1 Meg) 19.99 | Ramparts” 16.99 es Addams Family 16.99 Heroquest 16.99 R.B.I, 2 Baseball 19.99 Quickjoy Turbo 2........ccsseeeres £9.99 AirBus 22.99 | Hero Quest Data 9.99 | Reach for the Skies” 19.99 | Compo Pro Extra ........secseseeee £14.99 Afterburner 6.99 | Hitchikers Guide 7.99 | Red Baron* 22.99 Alien 3° 19,99 Hong Kong Fuey 5.99 Red Heat 6.99 Quickshot 3 Turbo ........0000£9.99 Altered Beast 6.99 | Hook*.. 19.99 | Renegade 6.99 | Quickjoy Jetfighter ................ £10.99 Another World 19.99 | Hudson Hawk 16.99 | Robin Hood 16.99 ee APB 6.99 | Hunter 19.99] Robin Smith's Cricket 16.99 | Quickjoy Topsta.............0:-000 £16.99 Arkanoid 2 6.99 (K+ 6.99 Robocod 16.99 Assault on Alcatraz * 16.99 Immortal (1 meg) 8.99 Robocop 6.99 B17 Flying Fortress* 22,99 | Indy Jones Atlantis-Action” 19.99 | Robocop 3 16.99 Batman Caped Crusader 6.99 | Int Spots Challenge” 16.99 | Rock Star Ate My Hamster 4.99 Batman The Movie 6.99 Ishar* 19.99 | Rotator* 16.99 Battle Command 16.99 | Ivanhoe 6.99 | R-Type 6.99 BLANK DISKS Beach Volley 6.99 Jaguar XJ220 (1 Meg)” 16.99 R-Type 2 16.99 5 Beast Busters 9.99 ] Jimmy Whites Snooker 19.99 | Rugby World Cup 16.99 Unbranded Disks Birds of Prey* 22.99 John Barnes (1 meg) 6.99 Run the Gauntlet 6.99 eh . Ee Blues Brothers 16.99 | Kick Of 799 | Ruttand Reddy 6.99 1D WSS DSD Dik .ccstesescossvenscese £5.99 Bonanza Bros 16.99 | Kick Off 2 9.99 Secret of Monkey Island (1 Meg) 16.99 20 x 3.5" DSDD... £10.99 Bubble Bobble 6.99 | Klaxx 6.99 | Sensible Soccer’ 16.99 a a aeeera ~ Cabel 6.99 | Knightmare 19.99 | Shadow Lands 19.99 | 50x 3.5" DSDDursssscccrcsrveesre£23.99 California Games’ 16.99 | Knights of the Sky (1 meg) 22.99 | Shadow Warriors 6.99 3.5" ps P v 3.5% DSDD...:002000. sorevenet 44,99 Campaign * 22.99 | K.0.2 Final Whistle 8.99 | Shinobi 8.99 100 x DSDD oAA Capcom Collection 19.99 | K.0.2 Giants of Europe * 7.99 | Shoot Em Con Kit* 8.99 Captive 16.99 ] K.0.2 Return of Europe 7.99 | Shufflepuck Cafe 6.99 at eee Carl Lewis Challenge” 16.99 | K.0.2 Super League” 9.99 | Shuttle” 34.99 Branded Disks Car Vup 9.99 | K.0.2 Winning Tactics 5.99 |) Silkworm 8.99 | 3.5" DSDD .......000+001.25 ...Each Castles 19.99 Laser Squad 2° 16.99 | Silly Putty’ 16.99 Chart Attack 1 19.99 | Last Ninja 2 5.99 | Sim City + Populous 19.99 Chaos Engine * 16.99 Last Ninja 3° 16.99 Sim Earth* 19.99 Chase HO 6.99 Leathe! Weapon 3° 16.99 Simpsons 16.99 Chuck Rock 2° 16.99 Leather Goddess 7.99 | Sleepwalker" 16.99 . a an) rl Pu . Continental Circus 8.99 | Legend 19.99 | Space 1889 (1 meg) 19.99 SPEC I AL OFF ERS Cool Croc Twins” 16.99 | Lemmings 16.99 | Space Gun 16.99 Crazy Cars 3* 16.99 Lemmings Construction Kit * 16.99 Special Forces 22.99 Cruise for a Corpse 19.99 | Lemmings Data Disk 13.99 | Strider 6.99 Curse of Enchanta (1 Meg)" 22.99 | Licence To Kill 6.99 | Strikefleet 16.99 KICK OFF 2 NOW Cyberbal 6.99 Lombard Rally 6.99 Striker* 16.99 Fe Daley Thompson Challenge 6.99 | Lure of the Temptress” 19.99 | Strip Poker 2+ Data 6.99 ON iY: £9.99 DeathBringer 19.99 M1 Tank Platoon 19.99 Stunt Car Racer 6.99 Deluxe Paint 39.99 | Magic Fly 8.99 | Super Hang On 6.99 Demonsgate * 22.99 | Magic Pockets 16.99 | Switchblade 6.99 ~ A Dizzy Collection 16.99] Man Utd Europe 16.99 | Switchblade 2 16.99 STEREO Double Dragon 8.99 | Megasports’ 19.99 | TN.T2°... 19,99 SPEAKERS FOR Double Dragon 2 8.99 | Mega Traveller 1 (1 Meg) 19.99 | Team Yankee 19.99 Double Dragon 3 16.99 | Mega Traveller 2 (1 Meg) 9.99 | Team Yankee 2 19.99 ATARI STE Dragon Ninja 6.99 Mega Twins 16.99 Teenage Mutant Turtles 2 16.99 Dune* 19.99 Microprose Gollf 22.99 | Terminator 2 16.99 ON LY £29.99 ELF 16.99 | Microprose Soccer 6.99 | Their Finest Hour 19.99 Elvira 2 (1 Meg) 24.99 | Midnight Resistance 6.99 | Their Finest Missions 9.99 Epic * 19.99 | Midwinter 2 22.99 | The Manager 19.99 IVT Euro Football Champ" 16.99} Mig 29 Super Flacrum 26.99 | Thunderhawk 19.99 EXTERNAL DRIVE Eye of the Storm * 19.99 | Moonstone" 19.99 | Titus The Fox 16.99 ONLY £49.99 F15 Strike Eagle 2 22,99 NAM 12.99 | Toki 16.99 F16 Combat Pilot 8.99 | New Zealand Story 6.99 | Top Cat Bev. Hills 6.99 Ferrari Formula 1 8.99 | Nigel Mansell World Champ* 16.99 | TNT2 19.99 Final Fight 16.99 | Nightbreed-Action 6.99 | Troddlers* 16.99 STEVE DAVIS Fire and Ice* 16.99} Ninja Collection 13.99 ] Turbo Challenge 8.99 First Samurai + Mega Lo Mania 19.99 Operation Thunderbolt 6.99 Turbo Challenge 2 16.99 SN ( JOKER Flag * 19.99 | Operation Wolf 6.99 | Turbo Challenge 3 16.99 . ~ Flight of the Intruder 14.99 | Outrun 6.99 | Turbo Outrun 8.99 NOW ON LY £7.99 Flood 8.99 | Qutrun Europa 16.99 | Turrican2 6.99 Football Crazy 16.99 Pang’ 6.99 | Ultima6* 19.99 Football Director 2 16.99 Paperboy 2 * 16.99 UMS 2 (1Meg) 19.99 abeapeg ies ae = * Pegeasus 16.99 | Untouchables : x FLIGHT OF THE ormula One Grand Prix Plan 9 From Outer Space” 19.99 | Utopia 19.99 Fun Schoo! 4 5-7 16.99 Platoon 6.99 Utopia Data Disk* 9.99 INTRU DER Fun School 4 Over 7 16.99 Player Manager 12.99 Voyager 6.99 1 " Fun School 4 under 5 16.99 Platoon 6.99 | Whizkic* 16,99 NOW ON LY £ 1 4.99 Games 92 - Espana* 16.99 | Populous.. 8.99] Winning Team 19.99 Gauntlet 2 6.99 | Populous 2 (1/2 Meg) 19.99 } Wizzball 6.99 Gaunilet 3 16.99 | Populous 2 (1 Meg) 19.99 | Wolfchild 16.99 G Loc* 16.99 Powerdrift 6.99 | World Class Rugby 16.99 Ghostbusters 2 6.99 | Powermonger 19.99 | World Wrestling Fed 16.99 FIRST SAM URAI Ghouls And Ghosts 6.99 } Powermonger Data Disk 1 9.99 | Xenomorph 2° 16.99 NOW ONLY £9.99 Goblins* 16.99 | Power Up 19.99 | Yogis Great Escape 6.99 Godfather Action 19.99 | Predator 6.99 | Yogi & Greed Monster 11066,99 Gods 16.99 | Projectyle 8.99 | Zool Station”. 16.99
This functional and versatile machine comes from IBM
You may not recognise IBM as 4 major printer manufacturer, and although it’s not a household name, the company has become quite well established in this mar- ket; their printers are aimed at the business user so you definitely won't see them in your high street computer store.
The 2381 is a wide-carriage machine, but there is also an 80- column version, the 2380, with a ist price of £399 and selling for eround £265.
The 2381 is a hefty hunk of machinery that looks functional and is actually very versatile; it is, however, very noisy in use.
There is a plethora of paper feed options and it is the only printer that we tested which offers front oading. It can take single sheets from the front, fanfold paper using either a push or pull tractor from the front or a pull tractor from below, and there’s an optional cut sheet feeder complete with single sheet bypass.
The paper handling capabilities of this printer are excellent, and with single sheets there is an auto-loading mechanism which serves tO pull the paper into the right position.
NO DIPS
Default printer settings are made using a printed-out menu which is Sasy to master: this system avoids the need for dip switches. The control panel on the front has a sensible selection of buttons and lights and is straightforward The IBM 2381: not much choice but clear and well printed.
IBM 2380 Draft mode abcdef Courier abcdef
Gothic (sans seri Italic, bold,
The excellent IBM 2380 - we actually looked at the wide carriage 2381
ise he manual is a tremen- Jous plus point for this machine
NLOQ typefaces, c (Sans Serif), clear and sharp,
ch is, surpris-
Nanufacturers, ft mode should ter again but
ests cularly useful control pane ns provided These are font and pitch lock
which let you make settings on
the machine which can't be over- ridden by software
“Fast, sturdy, very good paper handling, noisy”
NAME: IBM 2381 COMPANY: LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: 0628 481500 PRICE: £499
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL 8 5"
9-Pin Printers Tested
OKI ML 3410
To round off, we look at a top-of-the-range model
At nearly £1,300, this machine is well outside the range of the other printers covered in this round-up and hardly falls into the category of low-priced printers.
However, it is worthwhile look- ing at what this kind of money can buy in comparison with the facilities and quality offered by the other printers that are under test in this issue.
A machine of this type is obvi- ously not meant for domestic use. Its role is, rather, sitting in an office or warehouse, printing out miles of invoices, address labels and soon.
For the price, a laser printer would be faster and print infinitely better, but on a laser you can't use multi-part forms and the run- ning costs are much higher. Also, the sort of uses that people have for machines like this don't demand high-quality print.
BUILD
although at
eeder for ch sits under the ises a second push hanism
an easy machine to oper- a clearly laid out control ane here are no dip switches, nstead you make basic settings
The Oki ML 3410 — reasonable work- manilike fonts.
Oki ML 3410 Utility mode abed High speed draft Courier abcdefg Gothic abcdefg Italic, bold,
und
They don’t get quicker than the Oki ML 3410.
with a printed out menu system.
Printing is very fast indeed. NLQ printing is done in two passes as on other 9-pin printers, but it is bi- directional which speeds things up enormously
Print quality is adequate, but the two NLO faces (Courier and Goth- ic) are dull examples of their kind. Again, Oki is obviously aiming at the serious business user and pro- vides fonts that reflect this - functional but nothing fancy. There are also two draft modes which give very legible print.
“Very fast; can’t be compared to the others!”
NAME: OKI ML 3410 COMPANY: OKI SYSTEMS UK LTD
CONTACT: 0753 531292 PRICE: £1,295
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION EASE OF USE PRINT QUALITY SPEED
FEATURES INSTRUCTIONS VALUE FOR MONEY
RIBBON: £24.95
SHEET FEEDER (SINGLE BIN): £165 SHEET FEEDER (DUAL BIN): £475 POWER FEEDER: £289
PULL TRACTOR: £79
51
4 HOW THE PRIN
RRP ex vat Street price Sizeincm(h,w,d) Weight (kg) Worranty(1) Print width Paper parking — Colour Seikosha SP-1900+ £155 £88 11, 38, 28 3.3 1 yr RTD 80 col ° — Epson LX-400 £169 £103 9.1, 37.7, 30.8 5.1 1 yr RTD 80 col _ _ Panasonic KX-P1170 £185 £104 13.3, 42.3, 34.1 6.9 1 yr RTD 80 col 6 — Seikosha SP-2400 £199 £119 11, 38, 28 3.3 1 yr RTD 80 col ° _ AEG Olympia NP60 £199 £150 9.5, 43.5, 35.5 9 1 yr RTD 80 col —_— = Star LC-20 £199 £104 10.8, 58.4, 28.7 47 1 yr RTD 80 col ° _ Citizen Swift 9 £239 £152 13, 41.2, 32 5.4 2 yr RID 80 col** oe) o* Brother M-1309 £239 £146 15.7, 44.4, 17.76 5 lyronsite 80col** 6 _- Star LC-200 £259 £146 13.5, 44, 33.4 6.3 1 yr RTD 80 col oS i) Oki ML 280 £269 £225 8, 36, 27.5 4.5 1 yr RTD 80 col _ _ Panasonic KX-P2180 £270 £165 13.2, 42.4, 34 7.1 1 yr RTD 80 col o & * Star LC-15 £299 £176 12.7, 59, 33.2 8.5 1 yr RTD 136 col o _ Epson LX-1050 £329 £209 14.1, 62, 33.9 8.8 1 yr RTD 132 colt 6 -- Star ZA-200 £399 £238 15.7, 46.6, 40 9.7 lyronsite 80col** °o ° Oki ML 320 £449 £275 11.6, 39.8, 34.5 8.4 1 yr RTD 80 col** © _ Panasonic KX-P1695 £495 £276 14.2, 58.4, 39.9 14.5 1 yr RID 136 col ° _ IBM 2381 £499 £333 20, 63.7, 28.6 8.5 1 yr on site 136 colt Ok) — Oki ML 3410 £1,295 £790 18, 57, 41.7 18 1 yr RID 136 col o _
52
THE VERDICTS
There wasn’t a really bad
printer in the whole bunch,
and all of them can be used
with any ST mode!: all you
will need is a standard “IBM
type” parallel cable.
SOFTWARE USED
First Word Plus from GST Software — 0480 496666
Protext from Arnor Ltd - 0733 68909
That's Write from Compo Software — 0480 891819
IMPrint from zzSoft — 0254 672965
KEY
t narrow carriage version available
= wide carriage version available
Y optional extra
1 RID = return to dealer
2 EPX=Epson FX, [=IBM Proprinter
3 SS=single sheets, SF=sheet feeder, PT=push tractor, TP=pull tractor, R=paper roll 4 P(aratlel), S(erial)
5 manufacturers’ rating at 10cpi (draft, NLO)
In summing up, we have looked at the print- ers featured in the reviews over the last pages in terms of their price range. The machines fall into five broad groups: the cheapest models; more sophisticated print- ers; mid-price models; the elite of the bunch; and printers with colour facilities.
BEST BUDGET PRINTERS These printers sell at around £100 excluding VAT in the shops.
There are four machines worth looking at here, all of which are pretty good: the Seikosha SP-1900+, Epson LX-400, Pana- sonic KX-P1170 and Star LC-20. The
Seikosha is very cheap but rather basic; the Epson is excellent but somewhat lacking in features; that leaves the Panasonic and Star which are both very good value. The Pana- sonic just beats the Star LC-20 as it has a slightly higher specification and gives you a wider choice of paper feed options.
If speed is particularly important, you should consider the Seikosha SP-2400 which costs a little more but gets to the tape just ahead of the others.
TERS COMPARE
alii Extra memory Emulation(2) NLQ typefaces Paper feed (3)
— EPX, | 3K — EPX
32K EPX, | 21K — EPX, | 4K -— EPX, | 4K - EPX, | 8K _ EPX, | 8K 32K EPX, | 16K _ EPX, | 2K _ EPX or | 4K 32K EPX, | 16K 128K EPX, | 4K — EPX 32K 128K EPX, | 16K — EPX, | 16K 352K EPX, | 43K — EPX, | 28K _ EPX, |
These are the Star LC-200, Panasonic KX- P2180, Epson LX-850 (LX-1050 tested), Citizen Swift 9. Of these the Epson is the cheapest at about £143 in the shops, but is the only one without a colour option. They are all fairly fast, though the Swift's graphics printing was slower than the rest. They are all worth a look, but after much debate our choice would be the Star LC-200 which prints well, has the largest buffer memory, and has colour at no extra cost.
no ao GB S & YS F&F Oo Ss Ff SS HO
Copies Interface (4)
SS, SF*, PT 14+2 P SS,SF*,1PR* 1+2 PS* $S,SF*,PT,1P 201+3 OP, S*
a a PS $5, TP 1+2 Pt
SS, SF*, PT 1+2 P, S* $S,SF*,PT,1P 1+3 P, S* SS, SF*, PT, TP 14+2 SS, SF*, PT, 1P,R* 143 P, S*
SS, SF*, PT. 1P*,R* 1+3 — P,S* $S,SF*,PT.1P 1+3 P, S* $S,SF*,PT,1P* 142 PS
SS, SF*, PT 142 P, S* “$S,SF*,PT.1P* 144 P, S* SS, SF*,PT,1P 1+3 ?P,S* $S,SE*,PT,1P | 1+3 PL S* $S,SF*,PT.1P = 1+5 P, S* $S,SF*,PT,1P* 147 PS
the Epson LX-1050, Star LC-15, and Citizen Swift 9X (Swift 9 tested). The Epson was slightly faster than the other two, the Star has the best variety of fonts, the Citizen has a colour option and you get a pull tractor with- out buying additional kit. The Citizen Swift 9X wins (just) for its additional features.
RACE HORSES
The Star ZA-200, Oki ML 320/321, Panasonic KX-P1695 and IBM 2380/2381 are all superb machines. The Oki’s wins the speed race by a short head but have rather fewer features than the others. The Panasonic is discounted heavi- ly in the shops and ends up as amazingly
9-Pin Printers Tested
Speed (cps) (5) Ad text page Graphic text 160, 40 56”, 2°18” 4'57" 150, 25 35”, 2°15” 6°42” 160, 32 34”, 2°08” 8'18" 200, 50 31”, 1'50” 3'36" 160, 32 357 2:10 5'30” 180, 45 35”, 2'21” 5°21” 160, 40 33”, 2'02” 557” 180, 45 44", 1°55" 404"
200, 150,45 34”, 35", 150” 501”
240, 200,50 25", 113" — seetext 160, 32 40", 2'14" 4°30" 180, 45 36”, 2°19" 550"
200,180,350 33",41",2'17" 4°24"
372, 280,70 22”,24",1'17" — 3'30"
300, 250, 62.5 17”, 19”, 57” 156" 275,55 23,118" «2°38
320, 270,68 34”, 34”, 1'12” 1'47”
550,417,104 11”,13",38" 137”
cheap for a fast wide carriage machine. The IBM's have the most versatile paper handling but are the noisiest. The Star is slightly slower overall, but it does provide the facility for colour printing at no extra expense and is the quietest. A dead heat!
COLOUR MODELS
These are the Citizen Swift 9, Star LC-200, Panasonic KX-P2180, Star ZA-200. Again there’s no clear winner here. There's no signif- icant difference in the quality of the colour printing from any of the four, so if you want colour you should make your decision on the price and other features.
Our Service department can repair ST's in minimum time at competetive rates. We can arrange for courier pickup and return delivery of your machine to ensure it's safety. We even have a same day service which will ensure your machine is given priority and subject to fault. completed the same day. We can fit memory upgrades, PC Emuiators, Security devices, ROM upgrades, hard drives to Mega STE's etc.
We offer a Quotation service for £15 for which we will examine your machine and report back with an exact price for repair if you do not wish to go ahead with the repairs then just pay the £6. However if you do go ahead then the charge is included in the minimum charge. Please note: The minimum charge covers labour parts are
extra.
Quotation E 5 Min repair charge £ 35.25 Courier Pickup © 10 Courier return - 6 Same dayservice £ 15 STFM(E) PSU £ 45
1Mb Internal drive £ 45
A/B Boot switch £ 1499 TOS Switch £ 10
52Mb Quantum Hard drive upgrade for Mega 1 STE £ 299.99 105Mb Quantum Hard drive upgrade for Mega 1 STE £ 399.99
ST Secure is a hardware protection system for the Atari ST which stops unauthorised use of your computer and any hardware connected to it. ST Secure measures just 1 inch square and can be installed without soldering in about 30 minutes, Once installed ST Secure will allow approximately 45 seconds of computer use before resetting the computer. If during this time the password is entered correctly then ST Secure is disabled until the next power up.
Now Only £19.99
The Golden image Hand Scanner for the Atari ST features a 105mm scanning head, variable contrast control user selectable scanning resokutions of 100, 200. 300 and 400 Dpi one letter mode for high contrast B/W images and 3 photo modes for various shades of grey. The high quality hardware is backed up by two of the most respected graphics packages around. Migraph’'s Touch Up for scanning and editing hi- res and grey scale images and Deluxe Paint art package for tower resolution colour.
The Golden image External 3.5" Floppy drive for the Atari ST features 720K formatted capacity, double sided double density, LED track counter, Through port compatibility for older ST/STM machines, extamal PSU.
atal/Pulse \z..
our range of special offer yepme hang confirming our commitment to future
The Aries Upgrade board is an in house designed, Multi layer board utilising high density ZPP RAM chips. The board has been designed to allow progressive upgrading from the base 512K up to 4Mb. The board does require some sokering but once installed is very relable. The board is hand assembled in our workshops by skilled technicians and is fully tested before despatch. It also comes complete with fitting instructions and test software.
Our technicians can fit the board to any ST for a small fitting charge. We can arrange courier pickup and return to ensure fast turn araound, A same day fitting service is also available. Please phone for further details of courier and same day service.
[W 10. 200. 300, 400 Dpi scanning resolution
wy 105mm scanning head [Y letter mode, 3 photo modes [Includes Touch Up
[WY includes Deluxe Paint
Coming soon: Sihouette, Auto trechg/ine art package which converts bit a to Vector amen tenon price of
[WY 720K Formatted capacity [Y LED Track Counter
[Y External Power Supply Daisy Chain Through Port
Due to Bulk purchasing power we can offer the following special offer deals to all existing and future Data~Pulse/Data-Pulse Plus hard drive owners.
Neodesk 3 £ 24.99 HD Turbokit £ 14.99 Hard disk Optmsser, de-fragments and backs up. Diamond Back II £ 29.99 Excellent backup utlity
DC Data Diet £ 4999
A real tme dala compression/de-compressin system lo increase the capacity of your hard drive.
Data-Pulse Plus
Data-Pulse Pus 52MbpGE ©£ Data-Pulse Pus 52MbICD £ Data-Pulse Plus 105Mb GE £ Data-Pulse Plus 105Mb ICD £ Data-Pulse Plis 120Mb ICD £ Data-Pulse Plis 240Mb ICD £
The Data~Pulse Plus 120 and 240 incorperate the new Quantum mechanisms which feature 256K Read & Write disk cache, faster access time and improved relabilty. All Data~Pulse Plus drives inckide Quantum mechanisms which include 2 year warranty from date of manufacture.
Aries Upgrades (any ST(FM)) 512K Aries board £ 39.99 2Mb Aries board £ 84.99* 4Mb Aries board £ 149.99*
Courier pickup £ 10 Courier return EY 6 Fitting charge © Same day charge £ 15 16/4 chip upgrade STFM £ 2499
Plaase check the contiguration of your machine belore ordering. These chips are not surface mount *=special offer
[150 Dpi resolution [Y 500mm/SEC Tracking speed © Switchable between ST/Amiga
Data- Net is a high speed network solution for the SI/TT. Ladbroke's Data~ Net hardware can transter data at up to 10 Megabits per second. Connection is via the cartridge port of the ST and nodes are connected via Coaxial cable, The Multi tasking network software allows the sharing of Hard drives and Centronics printers anywhere on the Network. Nodes can also Auto boot accessories from a host's hard drive.
Data-Net starter £ 399.99 The starter pack includes 2 nodes and Universal Network software.
Data-Net node £ 199.99 Universal Network Starter Software £ 219.99 Universal Network Node software £99.99 Sthouette is a bit image and vector drawing with Auto ato aie ofA Begera 8 Seon SATE Tout SSCS as
Only £60
Special Offers 512K SIMM Upgrade for STE
£13.99 2Mb SIMM Upgrade for STE
£59.99 4Mb SIMM Upgrade STE
£114.99
Please check configuration before ordering
(% Opto/Mechanical Mechanism Y includes Deluxe Paint ST iv Direct mouse replacement
£ 4 4. 9 9 with D-Paint fe 19.99 without D-Paint
Only £14.99
Only £12.98
Ladbroke Computing intamational are the longest established Atari dealer in the UK. We have developed an extensive customer service policy
which involves testing of all Hardware prior to despatch to ensure that goods arrive in working order offering free advice and support over the iphone and keeping cutomers informed. Although our prices are not always the cheapest we do endeavour to offer consistently good service land backup. All prices correct at copy date 15/06/92 (while stocks last), and are subject to change without prior notice. All ferlncige hee ge bg ln p ree Dateiech fans Crank tebsbys bee Beppernn Ee a tins Nanplardochen ls Mg biel pra delivery, only on items under £50 (check with staff before ordering). Al prices available on Mail Order Shop prices may differ Shop/Mail orde! premises: 33 Ormskirk Road, Preston, Lancs, PR1 2QP Open Mon-Sat 9:30am-5:00pm. Phones answered trom 9:00am. Laceteks Comaulh international is a trading name of Ladbroke Computing Lid BFPO addresses overseas, deduct 175% VAT and add normal U.K carriage.
prices include VAT
tt A PRINTING
@a_ a
It’s your chance to become your own Maxwell this month and add a little colour to your publishing. A Star LC-200 is up for grabs in this month’s super easy-to-enter competition.
his month's compara- tive round-up should enable anyone to choose
the right 9-pin printer for their use. But don’t run out and open your wallets just yet: you might be the lucky reader to win one
We've got a fabulous Star LC-200 colour printer that ve're just giving away. All you have to doisa few simple questions
is why you think w et you loose with it, and it yuld be yours The LC-200 is a 9-pin dot atrix colour printer that would cost you £259 shops The model has several bu features, including nultiple NLQ fonts, and one nechanism for both push and
ill paper feeds
All you have to do to enter
s competition and join the
gh tech world of colour printing ts to correctly answer our questions about the LC-200, written in the Sanel opposite
The answers can all be found in the review pages, so f you haven't read it yet, do so now. Then tell us why you think it should be you, and what ORIGINAL use you could find for the LC-200
— ————
How many NLQ fonts does the the LC-200 have?
Answers
Answers
How many stars did we give the LC-200 for PRINT QUALITY?
What is different about the “Orator” font?
Answers ___ : a
How much is a colour ribbon for the LC-200?
Answers : =
Right, now the creative bit. Tell us what you'd use the LC-200 for (points awarded for originality
and humour!).
I'd use the LC200 to ___
Send your completed coupon to:
SS
Star Competition, Atari ST Review, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU
Closing date for entries 14th August.
55
THE ELITE OF GENEALOGICAL SOFTWARE AT A PRICE EVERYONE CAN AFFORD.
After 3 years of development, Floppyshop are proud to present ”Family Roots”. The program is designed around a fully functioning integrated workbench which is ideal for both the serious user and beginner alike. The user creates his or her | family tree graphically on the screen by linking directly between the individuals.
The growing tree structure can be zoomed, scrolled, altered, scanned, printed, manipulated etc.
The powerful database can be viewed instantly at the click of a mouse button. Marriage partner(s), children and parents are all easily and instantly accessible. A built in powerful search function enables fast cross referencing and multiple scanning. On line help and information are available at all times, you don’t have to worry about losing your place, the program remembers it for you. The printing section supports both graphics and text output.
To order your copy of Family Roots, send a cheque or postal order for £24.95 to the address below. Credit card orders welcome. A disk containing useable demos of Family Roots and other Floppyshop releases is available for only £1.00.
OVER 2,500 DISKS OF PUBLIC DOMAIN, SHAREWARE AND LICENSEWARE
After many years supporting the Atari ST, Floppyshop are now the largest stockist of high quality, low cost software in Britain. Our full catalogue is disk based and simple to use. It has a powerful search facility and can output to printer if required. Floppyshop are also distributors of the Budgie UK and Shoestring Licenseware ranges. Budgie produce games, demos and utility software. Shoestring specialise in educational software for young children. Only approved distributors like ourselves are allowed to sell these titles. For a free copy of the catalogue disk, send us a blank disk with a note of your name and address. Alternatively you can send a Cheque or PO for 80p and we'll supply the disk. Please make Cheque or PO (UK currency only) payable to Floppyshop. Major Credit Cards welcome. UK Postage FREE, Overseas Postage to: Europe £1.00 per order, Rest of World 10% of order value (minimum charge £2.00).
loppy shop Dept STRev
PO Box 273, Aberdeen, AB9 8SJ. Tel: (0224) 312756
Pocket Modems
SMALL WONDERS
WITH /
at three minuscule
pocket without burning a hole in it
ocket modems are all the 3 rage, and not just amongst
owners of laptop and note- book computers. Plenty of ST users are opting for portable modems without having to sacrifice features and transmission speed. In this review we'll look at three pock- et modems with varying features across a broad price range.
A modem that you can Carry around in your pocket makes communi- cations much easier, so portable computer owners tend to make up the main market. Even though, with the exception of the ST Book, there aren't too many ST- compatible laptops around, there's a growing interest in these devices.
Pocket modems can be transport- ed very easily, so even if you're only moving your ST to a friend’s house and back, having a modem the size of a cigarette packet can cut down on the effort involved. Those of you who use computers at work and at home will find it far more conve- nient to slip a small box in your pocket than to trail a carrier bag full of leads and adaptors backwards and forwards from the office.
The ST’s built-in modem port is an industry standard RS232 (serial) design and virtually all external modems on the market today will connect directly to it. All that’s needed is some suitable comms software, a short telephone lead and you're in business.
FLASHTALK 2400
The Flashtalk 2400 is a surprisingly small pocket modem about the size of a pack of cards and offers a range of features ata reasonable price
The case for this modem is made of two pieces of light grey plastic clipped together, but it appears to be well-made and robust. The RS232 connector lies at one end and the other has two sockets, one for the modem line and the other for a telephone handset Each of these sockets is clearly marked and there are two LED
vptddbdidiléials
AODEM YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH ANYON
This model was the only one our tests that would plug into the ST’s modem port and still leave room for a parallel printer connec- tion in the adjacent port, thus dispensing with the need for a serial cable.
INSTRUCTIONS
The Flashtalk comes with what just about passes for an instruc- tion manual - it’s actually a tiny 12-page folding leaflet and it con- tains only the most basic of information on how to get started. Having said that though, it does, provide a list of the Hayes com- mand set supported by the modem, which goes some way to make up for its lack of other infor- mation.
The Flashtalk modem is pow- ered directly from the ST’s serial port, which does away with the need for expensive alkaline batter- ies or a clumsy QV adaptor. It really is the ultimate add-on for portability, as far as external modems are concerned.
In action, the ON light flashes intermittently to show that power is available. When a connection is made, the ON light comes on dimly and the OH light comes on as long as a connection exists. This is pretty poor in terms of supplying the user with the infor- mation that he or she needs, but as this particular modem will probably spend its life lurking around the back of your ST and well out of sight, it’s really not all that critical.
IN STORE The Flashtalk can store 10 tele- phone numbers in its own tiny
non-volatile memory, using Hayes compatible commands (simply AT&Z followed by a number sen O and Q).
non-volatile memory means that even if you unplug the modem and turn off the ST, the numbers can still be recalled using the simple command AT&DS=, followed by the identi- fying mumber. As _ well as understanding the standard Hayes commands, the Flashtalk also understands some of the extended command set.
SPEEDS
The Flashtalk supports data trans- mission speeds of up to 2400 bits
E FROM ANYWHERE
per second (bps), which is quite adequate for normal users who 1 to log on to the odd bulletin or conferencing system or r small data files. It does
error correction or ssion so 2400 bps (or haracters per sec- maximum
is the heoretical throughput
On average the modem achieved between 225 and 235 cps for both text and LZH archived files - this is a reasonable figure and will certainly be good enough to suit most people.
The Flashtalk modem should be a winner as far as the ST is con- cerned. Although 2400 bps is really the bare minimum that should be considered these days, its size and zero running costs still make it an excellent buy.
a
“A surprisingly compact modem with low running
costs”
NAME: FLASHTALK 2400 COMPANY: BLUE MOUNTAIN CONTACT: 0908 376252
PRICE: £139.83 RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
EASE OF USE DOCUMENTATION EFFECTIVENESS VALUE FOR MONEY
Ultra compact Inexpensive Cheap to run
No need for serial cable
PROS AND CONS
Bare minimum acceptable throughput speed
oo
57
ROAD RUNNER 2400
This is about twice the size of the Flashtalk and three times heavier though still portable enough not to strain your pocket, even with the battery installed
The modem has a light grey plas- tic case, the two halves of which are held securely by four screws. It feels well-made and very solid and it features an RS232 connec- tor on one end and a battery compartment at the other for which a 9V alkaline battery is required.
On one side is the line connector socket and on the other a socket for the mains adaptor. The BABT approval sticker is clearly dis- played on the back/bottom.
INDICATORS
There are four LED indicators on the front/top. The first is for power and the second for data transmis- sion speed, which it indicates by either coming on continuously (2400 bps), flashing quickly (1200 bps) or flashing slowly (300 bps). Other lights are for data compres-
sion on/off and there’s a low bat- tery warning.
Other equipment supplied is a two-metre telephone lead, a two- way telephone connector to allow simultaneous use of a telephone, a 9V battery, serial cable and mains adaptor. It is also supplied with Trans-send comms software for MS-DOS compatible PCs.
The manual, which is over 60 pages in length, is adequate although it’s by no means exciting or particularly easy to use. Some parts relate to other products and the print quality is rather poor.
A DIFFICULT CUSTOMER
This was the hardest of all three modems to get working correctly. It refused to work straight out of the box and it took me several hours of altering every parameter and “S” register (memory loca- tions) | could think of before it eventually burst into life. It refused point blank to work with the tele- phone connected and had problems detecting a good carrier signal. In fact, | couldn’t even get it to hang up correctly and often had to unplug it completely to free the line.
The Road Runner is a 2400 bps modem, but it has the latest data compression. protocol, V42bis,
All-inclusive package Well-made
PROS AND CONS
“A difficult and expensive modem to set up and use.
Not the best
ROAD RUNNER ANDEST COMMUNICATIONS 0908 263300
CE: £323.13 :: OUT NOW
modem and they are a little thin on the ground at present.
In practice, it is hard to achieve anything like 9600 bps even when
connected to another V42bis modem. On normal 2400 bps lines,
throughput worked out roughly the same as the Flashtalk, show- ing between 212 and 228 cps on average. Even when connected to an MNP5 or V42bis modem, its throughput averaged only 450 to 470 cps
LOW LIFE The battery life of the Road Run- ner was also very disappointing — | downloaded half a dozen files and left it plugged into the ST, thinking it would revert to standby mode. This clearly didn’t happen and the battery low light came on after only two hours. The price of 9V batteries could make _ running costs pretty high if this model is used often without the mains adaptor
ERROR CORRECTION AND COMPRESSION
Sending data as fast as possible down the telephone line is a great idea, but there has to be some way of checking whether the data received is the same as that sent
To deal with this, many modems have built in error correction protocols - agreed methods for checking that the last batch of data was received correctly. The first error correction protocol was developed by Microcom - the most common being Microcom Network Protocol Level 4 or MNP4. A similar system has also been developed by another standards organisation, CCITT, which
is known as V42 correction.
Data compression allows much higher through-
put of data by ensuring that it is compressed before being transmitted. If the file has already been compressed using archivers such as ARC or 1ZH for example, the benefits will be less and some combinations may slow down the transfer. MNPS5S, the most widely used compression stan- dard, can virtually double the effective speed of data transfer. The very latest protocol, V42bis, is
even more impressive with claimed compression
ratios approaching 4 to 1.
V WHAT?
The main consideration when buying a modem is the speed at which it is capable of trans- ferring data. The faster the modem’s throughput, the less time the telephone call will take and the more money you'll save. A number of dif- ferent standards have been devised to denote modem speeds and they are usually quoted in bits per seconds or bps. The chart below explains how these standards work.
Standard Receive (bps) Vv23 1200 Vv21 300 1200 V22bis 2400 V32 9600 V32bis 14400
Transmit
How do these speeds relate to real rates of data transfer? Each character is represented in binary form by one byte or eight bits of data. However, to tell the receiver where one character ends and another begins, an extra bit is added before each character and another after, making 10 bits of data for each character. In this case, a 1200 bps modem should theoretically be able to send 120 characters per sec- ond, although in reality line noise and the need for error correction will reduce this fig- ure to between 110 and 115 bps on average.
WORLDPORT 9600
This modem is very similar to the Road Runner but offers much better features
As with the Road Runner, the build quality of this modem is again very high. It does have one additional socket for an accoustic coupler, a much less reliable
The LED indicators are also slightly different, to reflect the wider range of data transmission speeds likely to be encountered The first two of these play the connection speed in various com- binations as well as showing power on. The third LED comes on when a carrier is detected and the fourth is used as a low battery warning.
The Worldport modem is sup- plied with two QV batteries, a two-metre telephone cable, serial lead, accoustic cup adaptor cable, external 9V mains adapter and the same Trans-send (DOS) comms software as the Road Runner.
The Wordport is capable of a straight 9600 bps data transfer, but it also has built-in MNP5 data compression giving it a theoretical maximum throughput of 19,200 bps. It also supports MNP4 error correction, automatic baud rate detection and has plenty of other facilities such as auto dial and auto answer (which means you can use it to answer incoming telephone calls or run a BBS).
PERFORMANCE
When put to the test, the World- port performed very well indeed although it still didn’t achieve quite as much throughput as may have been expected. Transferring
BUYERS GUIDE
How the pocket modems compare. . .
Road Runner
1 Speeds: V21, V22, V22bis, V23
2 Hayes set Yes
3Errorcorrection V42/MNP4
4Datacompression V42bis/MNP5
5 Auto dial Yes
6 Auto answer Yes
7 LED status Power, speed, V42bis/MNP5, low battery
8 Stored configs 2
9 Diagnostic testing Yes 10Tone/pulse dial Yes 11 Call progress LED 12 Built-in Speaker Yes
13 Power source Battery/mains 14 Speaker Yes, single tone 15 Weight:
16 Warranty 2 years
17 BABT approval: Yes
Worldport Flashtalk V21, V22, V21, V22, V22hbis, V235, V32 V22bis, ¥23 Yes Yes
MNP4 No
MNP4 No
Yes Yes
Yes Yes
Data, speed, Power on, carrier detect, carrier detect low battery
2 1
Yes Yes
Yes Yes
LED None
Yes Yes, single tone Battery/mains ST serial port Yes Yes
196g inc battery 210g inc battery 729
2 years 12 months Yes No
large text files saw it peak at about 1500 cps but average only around 1200 cps. With archived LZH and ARC files, it managed between 650 bps and 900 bps The wide variation seems to have been due to occasional errors Cc and the need to re-
average data transfer rate. It is a fact that at higher transmission speeds the
increases rapidly
NUMBERS
There are a number of commands built into the modem to help you get the best from it - in particular, those on setting up an MNP5 link. By entering various parameters, the modem can be instructed to link with another modem at the highest possible speed and data compression level. The excellent manual explains it all very clearly and provides sample commands for different situations.
Most users will have two or three frequently dialled numbers, each often requiring different modem settings.
The modem has two user-defin- able configurations which can be saved in the non-volatile RAM and accessed again and again. Up to four telephone numbers can also be stored.
Battery life is just as short as the Road Runner - which is some- thing to bear in mind if you're on the move. The Worldport has one particularly interesting feature though, an integral help screen which can be called up from with- in the terminal software using the Hayes command ATI4. This pro- duces a very helpful screen reminding you of the available commands.
On the whole, the Worldport performed well enough, but it wins the bulk of its praise for being easy to use with a readable, informative manual.
chance of errors
Pocket Modems
Excellent features Well-made All-inclusive package
PROS AND CONS
High price Battery life short
“Easy to use, high-quality modem with a good manual”
NAME: WORLDPORT 9600 COMPANY: EUROMAX
PRICE: £793.87 RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
EASE OF USE DOCUMENTATION EFFECTIVENESS VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL io 2?”
HAYES COMPATIBILITY
The first modems were all controlled manually,
either via front panel switches or internal jumpers. As the technology developed, modems were fitted with microchips which could actually be programmed from the com- puter. A series of commands would tell the modem what to do and how to do it, but in order to differentiate between transmitted characters and commands, a set of standard command signals was developed by Hayes, a leading modem manufacturer.
Most modems are now Hayes compatible, meaning that they understand some or all of the Hayes commands. This allows you to Program modems to use certain error correction protocols, switch between pulse and tone dialling, re-dial stored numbers and alter all sorts of other communications parameters. For exam- ple, typing ATD dials the telephone number that you enter after it,
and ATH hangs up the modem.
This level of involvement is usually unnecessary, however, with a good terminal program which lets you select the commands from onscreen menus and automatically sends them to the modem.
59
eS =. —_
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61
2 Next, you have to define the more natural chaotic outline. The easiest way to do this is to select the airbrush tool and the same mid green colour, and then go around the edge of your shape once or twice using fast, continuous movements to give your tree a “true” feel.
One of Deluxe Paint’s strongest features are its brushes, which are versatile and extremely useful tools. Tony Dillon shows us how
to use them to produce landscapes
most people are certain to attempt at some point in their encounters with computer art.
It's difficult to define exactly what is the right way of doing things: apart from anything else, people have different views as to what they want. Some people like lots of detail, while others prefer to concentrate their efforts on the main fore-
ground items and
leave everything else out of focus - it’s really just a matter of taste. Using a few brushes, we're going to show you one possible way of approaching landscapes.
The effect that we are trying to create is that of a narrow road leading through a forest - this is the sort of effect that is reached in many sprite-based racing games. Brushes are similar to sprites in many ways.
Like sprites, they are single- frame objects that can be placed anywhere as many times as you like without being redrawn, and
ee is something that
this is a factor that we're going to exploit to the full in steps one to four of the step-by-step guide on these pages.
IN THE ATTIC
Repeat the process demonstrated in the first four steps, shown above, a few times until you have a collection of different trees - about half a dozen should do the trick. Once that is done, we can then move onto the road itself. Don’t forget to save your screen full of trees!
We're going to keep our trees in memory while we work on the road, as we'll need to constantly go back and forth.
With the cursor over the canvas, press “J”. The screen will now turn black. You don’t need to con- cern yourself about this too much - all that has actually happened is that the program has swapped between the main and the spare screen.
This allows artists to work on two screens at once. To check your trees are still there, press “J”
again to swap back. Now go back to the black screen.
LOOK AT IT THIS WAY
Perspective can be difficult to get to grips with. Vanishing point is easy enough, but only when working with lines. The difficult part is getting brushes to work properly, but we'll look at that problem later. First we have to create our basic landscape, as shown in steps five to eight.
ON A CLEAR DAY...
Judging size in relation to dis- tance is quite easy to do, provided that you have a stereo view of the world. If you only have monovi- sion, you need a little help. To do this, you need to draw a couple of lines in an unused colour.
Using the zoom mode, have a look at the top end of the sides of the road, where they meet the horizon. Do the lines join? Proba- bly not. Extend the lines to the point where they meet. This is called the vanishing point. Steps nine to 15 should help you.
UAE PAIN Y NUMBERS
@,_' —
vig
Now add highlights and lowlights. Stick with the airbrush tool To create the trunk of the tree, draw two freehand lines in a mid and select a light green. Spray a few bursts onto the right-hand brown, stemming from the bottom of your green shape and
Let’s sketch out on screen how things will look. Using the line
tool and a dark grey colour, draw a line across the middle of the
screen. Using the co-ordinates, draw two more lines extending from roughly the middle of the first line to the bottom corners of the screen. You should end up with two right-angled triangles with a large isosceles triangle in the middle.
Now we need to add a little detail. Draw two lines in white using the line tool from the centre of the horizontal line to the bottom of the screen, ensuring that at the bottom they are no more than 10 pixels apart. Fill this new area in white. This will become the lane marker. Select a medium-sized square brush from the freehand draw sub-menu and drop a couple of blocks along the line in the grey you Now fill the areas. Using a light blue and the fill tool, fill the top "ve already used. area of the screen. Now using a dark green, fill the left and right hand triangles, finally filling the middle triangle with the same grey that you used to draw the original lines.
TING PARI 3
™, Now to create a more exciting sky. Go to |) the palette menu and select about four redundant colours and change the first to a deep blue and the last to a very light blue. Now click on the first blue, select “Spread” and click on the light blue colour. Now click on range and select all four colours by click- ing on them. Go to the Fill sub-menu, select “Gradient”, enter 90 in the “Angle” edit field
There are two ways of doing this. The first, and least ' useful in this case, is the use of the “Size” tool from the brush submenu. Just to see how it works, click on it and move the pointer over the canvas. You'll see that the mouse pointer has changed to the word “SIZE”. Hold down the left button and move the mouse around slowly.
» From the vanishing point, draw four -)> lines, two extending diagonally through the green sections at a more-or-less 45 angle and two through the sky at a more hori- zontal slant. These are going to help you judge the size of your trees, assuming they are all the same height.
See how it can be used to change the size of the brush quickly, but not very precisely. Use this tool to shrink the
brush to roughly the right size.
=, Now press the plus key a couple of times. See how 12) the brush gets bigger by a pixel each way? Now press the minus key to see the reverse. When the brush can be placed at the “back” of the screen, over the horizon, with the top of the brush touching the top per- spective line and the bottom of the brush touching the bottom line, it’s the right size. Stamp a couple of trees at this Y co-ordinate across the green areas. Do the same with a couple of the other trees until you have a line of
trees all the same height.
If you are beginning to worry about your trees all looking the same, have no fear, there are a number of things you can do with your brush to make it look
individual and unique. Go to the submenu and click on “Distort” to bring up the menu of brush changing options. “Size” and “Halve” we have already come across. “Flip” simply flips your graphic over. If you are going to use this, make sure the “Vert” button is lit, or you'll have upside down trees. The “Skew” button is something we have used before. You can use this to italicise your brush, giv- ing you leaning trees - great for emphasising gales.
Now repeat the process, only this time move the 14) sample tree “forward” so it touches the top perspec- tive line higher up and the bottom line lower down. Continue this process until you reach the ends of the per-
spective lines. Now sit back and congratulate yourself on
a job well done.
Go to the brush submenu and select ') “Distort”. Select “Halve” and then place the brush near the horizon, between your two lines extending from the vanishing point. You'll probably find the brush is way too large. Go to the submenu and select “Halve” again. Try the brush for size once more. It probably still isn’t quite right, so it’s time for some more precise adjustment.
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ST Review peeks behind the curtains to uncover this month’s releases... ADDAMS FAMILY 68
Another spooky Ocean license. Is it frightening?
COOL CROC TWINS 87
Two of the Wackiest crocodiles in christendon
fantastic or
bounce around the screen
EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMP 82
Domark kicks the Taito coin-op onto the
terraces in this footballing extravaganza
FIRE AND ICE 88
Put away your Barbarian outfit, this is actually a cutsie, platform romp
GOBLIIINS 71 Guide three Goblins with a mission —a techni
ian, @ warrior and 4 magician to their goal INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CHALLENGE 84 Six gruelling Olympic events that combine in ar enjoyable, sports collection
SPORTS BEST 72
Car racing, Tennis and Panza Kick Boxing are brought together in this strange
SHUTTLE 74
An ST Review Essential Buy and the most com-
combination
prehensive flight sim ever Think you can pilot
a Space Shuttle? This is the closest you'll get
to the real thing without leaving the planet
Pacific Islands, Shadowlands
CREEN SCEN
Irkiter Log hfo Sites
Virgin’s Shuttle blasts off from page 74.
pas SG A. Mat:
Aicensto
International Sports takes your breath away.
SA.) ( Saas i A a “ a
Fire and Ice is a cutesie plstforin romp.
Settle down in your seats and wait for the curtains to roll back. This is Screen Scene, where each month we take a look at what’s best in the world of ST leisure software. This month we've given the ST Review Essential Buy treatment to Virgin’s out-of-this world Shuttle. Four pages of review show you why you should get to grips with the most sophisticated flight sim ever!
And throughout the review pages, you'll see why our rating system is the best that there is. Coupled with Pros and Cons boxes and our famous Step-By- Step guides, there just isn’t a better system to help you decide where to spend your hard- earned cash.
Make the right games buying choice first time, every time with Screen Scene.
47
Ocean’s latest film licence is a tale of real ooky-cookiness. Tony Dillon marries into the
evivals seem to be all R the rage at the moment,
what with flares, Abba and, of course, The Addams Family. Cult viewing in the "60s and cult viewing now, the show came at atime when monsters were in everyone’s hearts | \ and minds, with B- movies a-plenty and shows like Addams and The Munsters monopolising the fun TV ratings
Everyone knows the film of the show was released earlier this year - or at least almost everyone, judging by the box office ratings. This is Ocean's attempt to cash in on some of that revival spirit.
You play the part of Gomez, the father and recognised breadwinner of the family, in bad times. All of the family members have been kid- napped, and you have to rescue them using your cun- ning mind, your slightly less than athletic physique and a Fez with a built-in helicopter.
A GHOSTLY PLUMBER
The game is a platform romp, designed and played in the
same way as so many others. Leap from one level to anoth-
=|
al
Variety of levels and strategies
PROS AND CONS
Too many situations where you can be trapped The skidding causes major problems on small
=
- oo!
The FezCopter is a handy way of getting to those hard-to-reach places. Repeated pressing of the fire button ensures you stay air- borne, but the hat only lasts for a short period of time.
ele
SSS
er, killing bad guys by jump- ing on them and collecting bonuses as you go. There’s nothing original in that, except that it’s nice to see Ocean moving away from all that multi-game style stuff (Batman, Robocop and so on).
The game is played out over a number of sections, placed all over the Addams’ house and grounds. Most of the levels don’t have anything to do with their position- ing in the general map (with the exception of the graveyard), it’s just a groovy way of connecting it all. The centre of the game is the house itself, and inside are five doorways, lead- ing to the core sections of the game, each of which is split over a number of eight-way scrolling areas,
JUMP, JUMP!
Unlike most platform games, you don’t carry a weapon. Instead, Gomez can only destroy the enemies he comes across (trees, spiders, insane
ce
On
chefs and the like) by jumping and landing on top of them. Some, such as walking mili- tary helmets, can’t be jumped on, as the spikes adorning them penetrate Gomez's shoes, sapping some of his life force.
This life force is represented by hearts at the side of the screen. You begin with two, and every time you take a hit, one is emptied. They can be refilled by
collect-
-- — + “= ing the ems — heart bonuses
scattered liber- . ally around the level, but the only way to increase your heart quota is to defeat the three main end-of-level bad guys, each increasing your quota by one toa maximum of five.
As well as those bonuses, there are the obligatory 1-ups (extra lives), along with run- ning shoes, that make Gomez move (imperceptibly) faster, and dollars in the place of the well-worn credits in the Mario series. 25 of these replenish a heart point and
|
fa pa fr
ja
Dollars are scattered about liberally all over the game, and serve three purposes: bonus points, extra energy (one heart refill for every 25 dollars and an extra life at every 100 dollars.
Lurch guards the entrance to the final level (above), and he won't let you past until you've completed the rest of the game.
100 give you an extra life. The big bonus to go for is the FezCopter, a Turkish hat with not-very-magical flying abili- ties. This only lasts for a short time, but it does let you reach otherwise inaccessible areas of the screens
Finally, there’s your lives counter. You start with five ves, and should you lose them all, you are given the Option to quit or continue, a Standard option in itself. This game, however, gives you the option to continue every time, should you want to, effective- ¥Y giving you infinite lives When you do continue though, you carry on from the beginning of the level you were on, rather than where you last died. Should you quit, you can restart the game at major points, such 4s just after the death of an end-of- evel nasty, by entering a password which is given to you when such a task has been carried out
It all sounds fun so far, but there are some serious faults n the game that make it inplayable at times. The real problem is the scrolling. In most games of this genre, you would expect to see smooth scrolling that centred
-
around the main character, giving you a wide view around the sprite and plenty of time to anticipate enemy movements. This isn't the case in this game.
FLIP FLOPS ARE BACK!
Addams uses a method called flip-scrolling, and anyone who has ever used an Amstrad 8-bit machine will instantly know what that is. Rather than show each level as a wide, smoothly scrolling expanse, they are broken down into lots of non- scrolling areas. Moving your sprite around the middle of the screen has no effect on the scrolling whatsoever, but move him to either the left or the right, and the screen lurches in that direction, swings past your main sprite, and stops to display the next non-moving screen. Needless to say, this is a little tiring on the eyes, especially when you're in the middle of trying to avoid a spiked ball ona swinging chain
And that’s the major prob- lem. Before you scroll into area X from area Y, the ene- mies in X don’t exist. Fair enough, but what happens if the enemy in area X is also
After killing the bird, you are presented with a new heart to add to your heart quota. And there are loads to choose from...
partly in area Y, for example the swinging spiked balls? You guessed it, they don't appear until you scroll into X by which point you are caught in their path and mown down before you can even say “Uncle Fester's lost his mind!”
Controlling Gomez is also far from easy. When you run for a short distance, say two steps to the right and then try to run in the other direction, Gomez skids to a halt and then turns. This takes up too much time and makes the game unresponsive. The “skidding-to-a-halt” system has been used many times before (in Robocod, for exam- ple) but not as badly as this. The problem is, he skids after even the shortest distances, making moving on platforms practically impossible. Move too much, and you’re sure to skid off uncontrollably.
This suggests a poorly designed game, and that real- ly is the best way to sum it up. With proper scrolling, and better controls, the game really would have a Mario fee! to it. As itis, however, it’s just another platform game that happens to have a big licence attached to it.
<3
No, it isn’t Orville. This bird is
one of the end-of-level creatures, and to beat it, you have to work out its flight path.
NAME: THE ADDAMS FAMILY COMPANY: OCEAN SOFTWARE
CONTACT: 061 832 6633
PRICE: £25.99 RELEASE DATE: NOW MIN MEMORY : N/A
GRAPHICS oo eS SOUND °6ocs VALUE FOR MONEY © > 066 PLAYABILITY 96666
OVERALL & E %
Like all classic ideas, the life of The Addams Fami- ly began simply. They were first seen spread- ing their blend of vegetable oils and macabre humour in New York daily tabloids in the early ‘60s. Their appeal was so wide that they soon found themselves in their own half-hour TV show. The cult element of the show is so great that many people found the idea of a two-hour film hard to swallow, especially after the appalling attempt to revitalise The Munsters. The excellent choice of cast, connected with a more than passable plot made for an enjoy- able movie though, pulling in big bucks left, right and centre
69
LEGEND OF THE FORTRESS
WE BELIEVE “ISHAR" IS THE BEST RPG ON THE MARKET.
BUT DON'T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT....
“SIMPLY THE BEST OF ITS KIND.”
CU AMIGA.
“A GAME RPG FANATICS WILL DIE FOR.”
CU AMIGA 89°.
“The exciting sense of adventure makes ISHAR incredibly smart.”
ZERO 89%
“A truly great adventure with the best graphics about.”
ST REVIEW 87°o
“Don't pass this one by, MUCH BETTER THAN EYE OF THE BEHOLDER 2.”
THE ONE 87°
"ISHAR" a great adventure for YOU, not your WALLET
NOW SEE FOR YOURSELF...
SEND FOR THE FABULOUS *ISHAR" ST SLIDE-SHOW
Cheque/P.O's payable to: Daze Marketing Ltd.
Enclose £1.49 per disc (99p + 50p P&P), post to: Daze Marketing Ltd, Dagmar House, 12 Old Street, London, EC1V 9AB. Cc
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obliiins (sic) is a puz- zle game in the Lemmings mould. You
control three loyal servant Goblins out to find a cure for the King’s madness, an unkind affliction brought on by someone with a voodoo doll.
CALL TO ARMS
The trio sets off to find four magic objects, which together will cure the cursed monarch. The first, Oups, is a clever chap who can carry and manipulate objects found in the game. Need a gun fired? Oups is your man. Sim- ilarly, if you want someone beaten to a pulp, Asgard is the chap for you. He may not be the best with his hands, or the most intelligent, but he is good at belting things. Final- ly, to add a twinkly touch of magic comes Ignatius, a wiz- ard with a limitless magical
Attracting the Wizard's atten- tion (right). (Below) Plug- ging a hole.
capacity but an extremely limited magical knowledge. Each level is played across a single screen, and you aren't allowed to move onto the next until certain con-
met. Not that you are told what the conditions are, of course. You have to figure that out for yourself, and nine times out of 10 it’s incredibly diffi- cult. Some things are logical - for example, when you come to a bridge that’s out, you know you need to block it. When it’s next to an apple tree with apples that expand when a spell is cast, you know what to block it with. The rest of the time, though, there is little to tell you, and there are more than enough red herrings to sap your ener- gy which, incidentally, is a
sents the entire party. If it diminishes to nothing, then the game is over
FIDGETY
Unlike Lemmings, where the little darlings wandered around aimlessly, performing their tasks only when asked, the Goblins stand stock still until you specifically tell them to do something. Well, not quite still. They'll fidget, play with yo-yos, juggle, smile and perform backflips while they await instruction
Gobliiins should have a lot going for it. It's a tough puz- zle game, sure, but nothing that a little persevered trial and error, mixed with a snatch of logical thinking shouldn't be able to cure. So why did it get a less than average score?
Firstly, it slows down too much at times, affecting the gameplay. Sec- ondly, it's too fiddly to be playable. The controls are point and click. Selecting a Goblin, and then clicking on where you want him to go or to perform his respective action is usually all you do - the computer fills in the rest. However, there are quite a few moments when the gob- lin lurches off in some unexpected direction or doesn't even move.
It's a shame that what could have been such a great game was spoiled by poor playabili- ty. Even the amusing animation can wear a little thin after a while.
Very unplayable at times
Not enough control over individual actions
aa
NAME: GOBLIIINS COMPANY: DIGITAL INTEGRATION CONTACT: 0276 684959
seriously
PRICE: £25.99 RELEASE DATE: NOW MIN MEMORY : N/A
GRAPHICS Googe SOUND — 8869 VALUE FOR MONEY GO GOG PLAYABILITY 9006
%
OVERALL
72
rench games, in
general, tend to
be very idiosyn- cratic. They're either about completely obscure subjects or they have completely obscure gameplay Because of this they often suffer at the hands of the British games playing public. Having said that though, our friends across the water are obviously capable of produc- ing a good sports sim - and just to prove the point they've released this compilation
There are three games com-
piled on Sport’s Best; Panza Kick Boxing, Tennis Cup and Turbo Cup. Of these, Panza Kick Boxing has to be the strongest contender. A hit when first released, it hasn't lost any of its appeal
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Outside the world of kick box- ing the name Panza may not mean much, but to those who do know alittle bit about it adding his name to the game is rather like having Hulk Hogan endorse a wrestling sim or Joe Montana an Ameri- can football game. Luckily, the quality endorsement is
~) = .
Excellent graphics
Increasing competitiveness in tennis and kick boxing gives plenty of lastability
PROS AND CONS
Turbo cup is uninspiring
Gameplay and controls seem a little slow at first
Some options need 1 MB
backed up by a quality game.
Panza Kick Boxing has to be one of the best fighting sims available on any for-
mat. It sticks very closely to the rules of the WKA (World Kick Boxing Association), though it also allows the use of some tech- ich are the exclusive domain of French Boxing and Thai Boxing. Con- tenders can utilise 13 different fighting moves which can be combined to create a formidable attack or defence. There are eight dif- ferent computer boxers to compete against and you can develop and save an individu- al character by training and progressing through the ranks of the WKA championships or by competing against friends The game comes supplied on two disks, so it can take some time to load and re-load as you change your options or opponents. Also, unless you have one Megabyte of memo- ry, you may not be able to access all the available options. Nevertheless, once loaded and with or without these options, Panza Kick Box-
niques wh
ing is well worth the wait
The graphics are lifelike and stunning right from the open- ing sequence. The boxers are perfectly animated and all their movements are meticu- lously recreated
Unfortunately, all this graph- ic excellence could be why the game seems a little slow at first. However, this is really a blessing in disguise - if the simulation was as fast as the real sport very few people would be able to play it!
STRIVING FOR PERFECTION
The second game worthy of mention on Sport's Best is Tennis Cup. Loriciel describes this as the “best tennis game to be released to date”, and it certainly looks the part. The
Panza Kick Boxing: as the beautiful girl introduces round three, all hell is about to break loose behind her, in the ring. Each boxer has 13 different fighting moves.
.. and receives a real one in return
Boxer B does a reverse flying kick
Player two returns the volley with a forehand smash. There are many shot options in Tennis Cup and you can pinpoint particular shots on an option screen to give you a better chance of completing them.
option screens are logically aid out and there are 32 dif- ferent opponents to choose from with plenty of opportu- nity to see your player progress through the ranks to the dizzy height of a tennis world champion seed
Needless to say, you won't start out with the perfect player, so the game options allow you to adjust players’ skills to suit the particular sort of game you want to play. As you get better your player is awarded more apti- tude points so you can improve your game - and you'll need to if you're going to compete with some of the ace shots in the latter part of the tournament.
A good hint when starting out is to practise getting your serve as close to the outside
corner as possible. This will confound the first few rela- tively weak opponents and give you an opportunity to practice your returns and vol- leys while holding onto a good chance of actually win- ning the games Unfortunately this trick doesn’t work against better players, so make sure you
The Porsche has crashed. And that is how it should stay.
MACHI.COURS
a | al 41.8)
COuUERSI
MACH?.COURS:
“at An € | ’
Ca).
Hitting 239Kmh and knocking out the opposition. Not too difficult,
not too absorbing.
3
SACLE LEA
take full advantage of it
Like Panza, Tennis Cup seems a little slow to play, but this time the problem is more frustrating. Maybe it’s just my tired eyes but | always seemed to have to aim and release my shot ages before the ball actually reach- es the racket. This leads toa lot of missed balls until you're uSed to it. | also found that, just when | thought my player was positioned cor- rectly, the perspective had actually fooled me and the ball was, once more, just out of reach. Again when you get used to compensating for this quirk the Tennis Cup becomes enjoyable again
During play the screen is split horizontally into two halves. This is useful in two- player mode when both players have the opportunity to see their computer contes- tants from behind on the same screen ensuring that both have equal advantage However, in single player mode it is less attractive
JOKER IN THE PACK
Most compilations have their duff games and in Sport’s
——EE
BUYERS 5 | : & a ERS
A i
NAME: COMPANY: CONTACT:
PRICE: RELEASE DATE: MIN MEMORY :
GRAPHICS Soong
SOUND eacos VALUE FOR MONEY OG PLAYABILITY goose
OVERALL
Best's case it’s Turbo Cup This involves racing a turbo- charged Porsche 944 around four French racing circuits. OK, there are some plus points: it looks reasonably good; there are enough gears, there’s some turbo-charged action and the opposition occasionally puts up a good fight, but this game should be strictly reserved for occa- sional moments of boredom
With no real options, no extra curricular excitement and very limited drivability Turbo Cup is more of a Lada than a Porsche.
Although it only contains three games, Sport’s Best is a formidable contender. Any- one with even a remote interest in fight sims should have Panza Kick Boxing in their collection and “the best is sim, Tennis Cup Ss worth much more than a passing look
so far” tenn
What are the alternatives? There are plenty, but not all on one pack. Check Sport's Best titles out against their stand alone opposition. All marks are
out of 10.
Gra
Panza Kick Boxing: International Karate Plus: Tennis Cup:
Advantage Tennis:
Turbo Cup: 7
oon 0
Sou Rea Pla Las 7 9 8 8 8 7 9 8 6 7 7 8 7 9 8 9
5 4 5 4
Key: Gra = Graphics, Sou = Sound, Rea = Realism, Pla = Playability,
Las = Lasting appeal
While many software companies are content with training us in conventional aircraft, Virgin has gone one better. Mark Patterson heads for the final frontier. ..
ESSENTIAL BU
huttle is a simu- S lation of NASA’s
premier craft, the space shuttle, which has been in service for 11 years and has been used to carry out several valuable experiments, as well as to launch and repair satellites. This game takes you from the launch pad to space and back againina simulation based on actual NASA documentation.
There are two manuals, one of which covers the extensive controls and gives a descrip- tion of all the shuttle’s missions, while the mission guide contains the scenario briefings and instructions on how to fly the craft.
It's important to get acquainted with the controls first -a “dry-run” with the controls is a good idea, main- ly because there are so just many and you can‘t waste time flicking between manu- als and displays.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Timing is one of the most important factors in getting to grips with this game. Proce- dures have to be followed to the letter, otherwise engines might try to fire without enough fuel or auxiliary power might fail, and this kind of mishap could spell disaster. This can prove a little frustrat- ing, as you will find yourself pausing the game frequently to study the manual, which is unclear at times. A good memory is another essential require- ment - you need to keep one step ahead and \ remember what to do next. If you fail to fire the engines at the right time the shuttle could drift out of its orbit, while failure to load up a computer program could have disastrous conse- quences. It’s also important to keep an eye on the various gauges - there are so many things that can go wrong as the result of one malfunction that you have to nip any prob-
é The instrument land- ing system is one of the shuttle’s most complicated. Fortu- nately, the only time that it needs to be employed is when you're bringing the machine in through cloud cover. In this situation you have to fly blind, relying only on a digital dis- play. There are lots of read-outs on this screen, many of which are unimpor- tant: what you need to watch out for is the circle at the cen- tre of the display, which has to be kept lined up with a cross-hair that represents the best glide-slope for landing.
HANDS-ON
Landing can be one of the most testing times for a pilot. The fastest conventional jet-aircraft can just clear Mach 3, whereas the shuttle re-enters at Mach 9 and glides to Earth. Airbrakes
have to be applied to slow it down, and a tricky manoeuvre called “pre-flare” has to be performed to slow the shuttle down to an acceptable land- ing speed. If the craft isn’t lined up right on the landing strip, or is travelling too fast, it stands a very good chance of skidding off and bursting a tyre, which could result in a crash. On the real shuttle the control stick rotates as well as moving in the usual set of joystick directions. This is because the craft not only banks, pulls back and dives, but also has to rotate lateral- ly. Obviously, this is impossible to recreate on a conventional joystick, so the keyboard has to be employed for manual control. It takes a while to get used to steering the shuttle in this way, and unfortunately there's very lit- tle opportunity for practice, so it often takes a few accidents before you get it right.
The lack of friction in space
TLE
LIFT OF
Before you can start a mission, you need to be able to take off. Here’s how. . .
The shuttle doesn’t have enough power, or fuel capacity, to take off unaided, so it's connected to two booster rockets which are connected to the side of a large fuel tank. These, together with the shuttle’s three engines, generate the nec- essary thrust to break away from Earth's gravity. The headings below refer to the countdown times - minutes and seconds before and after take-off.
also has to be contended with. When the engines fire to push the shuttle in a cer- tain direction they also have to be fired in the opposite direction to produce enough force to slow the craft down.
MISSION-ON
As shuttle captain, you con- centrate on getting things into orbit. The most complex of your missions is attaching @ crew module to a previously deployed solar panel. This calls upon your flight skills to manoeuvre in close, then your abilities with the shuttle’s robot arm to guide the mod- ule into place. As you grow in
experience the missions get tougher, demanding pin-point accuracy, and they culminate in a top-secret project to launch a spy satellite. The manual gives a brief overview of each mission, but you still need to use your initiative when it comes to timed engine burns and deploying the robot arm, as you're only given the basics. This is where a practice mode would have been very welcome.
POINT AND CLICK
A point-and-click system makes up the bulk of con- trols, so to operate something all you have to do is click on
The 747 Piggy Back mission gives you a chance to land without hav- ing to take off. The shuttle is carried to 60,000 feet on the back of a 747 jumbo jet then released, you then have to deploy the landing gear, activate the instrument landing system, and guide it back to earth.
T -5:00:00-T — 0:20:00
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Once the shuttle has been rolled out to the launch pad and the tanks have been filled, it’s time for the pre-flight checks. First, the communications units have to be activated and tested. The five relevant switches must be flicked from off to transmit and receive mode. Next the CRT displays have to be switched on (these take about 45 seconds to power-up). Next
T -—0:19:00-T- 00:05:00
Once the flight plan has been entered the circularise orbit code has to be loaded up in the same way. The next step is to pressurise the main propulsion system with helium: to do this you need to open the valves to the tanks, then activate the pressure valve. If everything has been done correctly the shuttle will be primed for take-off. The access tower will retract, and you'll then have to flick the switches that close the fuel valves.
T-0:04:00-T +0:10:00
The computer now takes over the running of the internal sys- tems. Your last task is to activate the failsafes on the auxiliary power units: once this is done, sit back and wait for launch. The entire launch and release of the external fuel and tank and boosters are automatically controlled. Your last act before space is to activate the Attitude Direction Indication which relates the shuttle’s position in relation to the current environment.
the appropriate switch or dial. Even then there isa massive array of controls spread over several screens, and despite the inclusion of a poster displaying every con- trol panel in the game, it’s still very easy to get lost. Some additional commands and displays are activated by a system of pull-down menus, aithough most of these can be selected via key combinations.
Many complicated manoeu- vres are automatically performed by the computer, and all you're called upon to do is to enter the commands to load up a certain piece of
> NX
for some people
It usually take seven hours to wheel the shuttle from its hangar to the launch pad. The accelerated time feature speeds things up, or you can ‘teleport’ the shuttle to the launch-pad. You cau also go straight into orbit or try your hand at landing it.
T+0:11:00-T +0:55:00
Once you're past the atmosphere the next step is to manoeu- vre the shuttle into position. This requires you to load up a program that triggers controlled rocket bursts which push the shuttle into orbit. After that the pumps have to be shut down and the external fuel tank jettisoned (it burns up in the atmosphere).
Next the cargo-bay doors have to be opened, which allows the deployment of the radiators which release the extra heat generate during take-off. Finally the KU band communica- tions antenna has to be deployed. If everything’s gone well mission control will send a message authorising you to carry out the first stage of your mission.
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The robot arm is the key to many of the missions. It’s used to deploy and recover satellites. Many of its functions are computer controlled, but you're still called upon to manually control it from time to time.
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This is a section of one of the control panels. They’re so big that they can’t fit on one screen alone, so you have to scroll around them by pushing the pointer to the edge of the screen.
software or f
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you're treated to a graphic
display showing the ne
result of your actions. All the
external graphics are made up of polygons, and while the individual objects aren’t very detailed, there re some com- plicated sequences which
enhance the course this isn’t a perfect world, and however nice the graphics are to look at, they are very slow at times
For the most part, though the cockpit, its narrow win- dows and monitors are what you have to keep an eye on You need to be able to react
to situations as they happen,
so you can’t afford to devote much time to watching these
pretty pictures
TEDIOUS TAKE-OFFS
The level of detail is incredi- ble: every mission a »vered, the cockpit is very
pect is
close to the real thing, and
neer weight of things to do makes this very absorbing
Theo Shuttle is that it’s very, very
ly real problem with
to master ana oncelr
2 things get tougher still You have to be prepared to take a lot of time out reading the manual, watching the demo and memorising all of
the key locations ontl
trol panels This makes the game extremely tedious at first, not to mention frustrating. It’s not much fun being stuck on
the launch pad with no obvi-
ous way of taki nstantly playable sn‘t for you, but if you're prepared to persevere you'll find yourself playing possibly the most unique simulator ever.
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You only need the flight control panel screen when you're lining up to land. The artificial horizon in the centre helps you to line up your ini- tial approach before switching to the ILS so set your final glide-slope.
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The lwo Stil Rocke lBooslers (SRBsJare a lected vn eush side of the External Tank \ET). "keu are each 149.16 feet longa end 1Zl? feet ir demeter and ueigh aoout 1,309,000 pourcs at latnch, incladina their sxadofsbous 1,100,900 peuncse Sf srepellans.
Esoh £R3 develops approximately 3,396,000 pounds of thrus* at launch: providing neaig three quarters of the shuttle’s ntl teeust The precise direction of torust can ke adjusted bu ainballing the nosket nozzle ushha actuators powered by tuo udraulio hover Units FUs)
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The game has a built-in reference guide to the shuttle, which covers all its main elements and gives a full description and a picture of the selected item.
Pre
NAME: COMPANY: CONTACT:
PRICE: RELEASE DATE: MIN MEMORY :
GRAPHICS 6560 SOUND 6060 6 VALUE FOR MONEY © OOo
PLAYABILITY ooo6 OVERALL
Unlike the one in this picture, the shuttle's nose has to be kept up dur- ing re-entry. The friction generated by the atmosphere helps slow it down even further.
77
78
ss? bs \ = An all-expenses paid five day holiday in Belgt yours courtesy of Virgin Games, whose latest tle, reviewed on page 74, received the coveted
Essential Buy award.
irgin’s Shuttle is a flight V simulator with a differ-
ence. It is an accurate simulator of the most compli- cated flying machine in existence - N.A.S.A’s Space Shuttle - we know, we reviewed it and immediately gave it a whole four pages in order to do it the justice it richly deserves.
Shuttle has some amazing graphics which are a sight to see - as is the Space Camp in Belgium which the lucky win- ner and a friend will visit to be put through a complete astro- naut training program - this will involve physical training which includes weightless- ness, G-force tests and finally goes on to let you loose in a fully blown Space Shuttle sim- ulator - once you've been through this training you'll be
sient” TTS EASY TO WIN > All you have to do to enter the competition is to answer the following questions, PE hi 7 ES! enter your replies On the coupon and send it to; ST REVIEW, BLAST OFF © COMPETITION, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU to arrive here before Apart from the lucky win- 14th August. ner and a friend who get the first prize, there are What was the name of NASA's first shuttle in space?
also £900 worth of prizes for runners up
Originally, it was meant to be launched using..
b) A Boeing 747
® 10 runner-up prizes of a Virgin T shirt c) Methanol
The closing date for this competition is 14th August. Any entries arriving after that date will be ineligible for entry. This competition is not open to any employees of EMAP Images or Virgin Games and the editor's decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
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It's easy! First you read all the latest news,reviews, previews and tips on all the hot stuff, then roll your copy round an iron bar...
And stop him being a sad man?
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CAN YOU AFFORD )} TO MISS IT!
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NOTITIITAWnt
ou've probably seen this game many a time. Propping up schoolkids
in your local arcade, or prop- ping up drunks in your local boozer, there’s no getting away from
this excellent Taito coin-op. Now,
Domark has decided
to release it onto the home format.
NOTHING FANCY
Unlike most arcade kick- abouts, European Football Champ doesn't have an intri- cate control system. But itis very easy to play, which goes some way to explaining why it is so popular.
On loading, you are greeted with two circles of flags. Moving the joystick left or right cycles them to the coun- try you want to play, and pressing fire enters the game. From this simple screen, it’s
(Above) The circle of flags. Here you select whether to play one or two player, against or bi with a friend, and the nationality.
(Right) For the first time the goalkeepers F aren't infallible. This dejected looking soul has just turned and thrown the ball into the
possible to select the three different game types. Firstly, there's single-player mode, where you play computer- controlled teams of increasing skill. If two players select differ-
the human versus
human game, where two player controlled teams of equal skill go
up against one another. Finally, should two players select the same flag, then both play for the same side against a series of persistent computer opponents.
The game is viewed in semi close-up from a side view. The window scrolls around the pitch following the ball and the currently selected player. A feature of the coin- op, and a trick that Teque developed while working on Pitfighter, is the extreme close-up, which happens at
ent flags, you go into
AA RA) sh
key points of a game, such as when a goa! has been scored, or when a player is sent off. At these points, the graphics are expanded to four times their original size, just to let you know who to look at.
EASY AS PIE
The control method is as close to perfect as you are likely to get in an arcade game. The only thing you need to worry about is the fire button - joystick direction simply selects the direction the move is to go in. If the player is off the ball, tapping the fire button once makes the player attempt a legal tackle. Tapping it twice caus- es the player to try something a little more illegal, such as Kneeing a player in the groin.
The same method of single and double presses applies when the player is near or has the ball. A single tap causes a long, low ball and two taps causes a volley. Depending on the proximity of the player to the ball, it could also cause a bicycle kick or a diving header, all automatically chosen by the computer. It's a very user friendly system.
But nature creates balance, and for all these good points there has to be something wrong, and in this case it’s the speed of the game. The scrolling is disastrously slow and jerky,and trying to move a player into a receptive position can prove to be one of the most frus- trating challenges this side of Tetris as you wrestle to get the man to respond.
It's a shame that such an amazing arcade game has
As yet another arcade football game hits our game screens, Tony Dillon puts the boot in
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come across so badly. lf this game had been a lot faster, it could have been incredible. As it is, though, it’s com- pletely unplayable.
> NX
PROS AND CONS
Far too slow
Machine has to load in close-up view
> aa
“Way too slow to be any fun. A wasted
opportunity”
NAME: EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMP COMPANY: DOMARK
PRICE: £25.99 RELEASE DATE: NOW MIN MEMORY :' N/A
EASE OF USE DOCUMENTATION EFFECTIVENESS VALUE FOR MONEY
AA 2k +) RS + +) 9006 660080
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Only narrowly missing being on the Olympic
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s the Olympic season
hots up
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INWARD STRALGNTI7S2 ‘GOmERSAULTS houses and is being replaced CUERINNICRALORTV ECP TnCH RE by Olympic-style sports com —e ons are pilations. We have come ful circle from the days wher Daley Thompson, Hypersports Track And Field and the
: Just some of the 88 dives. The almost endless Epyx sims
number on the right-hand side is
re all the rage see: . ° were all the rage the difficulty of each dive.
Over the years, the format has remained as steady as a multi events and a league
) rock; multi players each tak- table, and while the overall ing turns at the events selected, trying to beat
each other’s records
idea is to be ahead of all your human Oppo- nents when the chips scores or times, fight- are down, each of ing for lead place ina the events are por-
league table
AN OLD DOG
trayed in such an interesting and chal-
lenging way that you
can forgive the blasts different from the past
What you have is five events
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The diver in mid-air. Notice the small circles in the top right corner. The outer circle is you, the inner circle is the move you are attempting. Try and keep them together!
RNATII
FUDAES REFRESHMENT
SPU TAKES
WEATHER RMITE WAP
The map of the marathon. 26 miles of sun and cramps. It’s down to you whether you make your runner sprint the distance or not.
Clay shooting involves you shooting at pairs of discs from various points of a circle.
linked with a sixth, the Marathon. Rather than play each six in sequence, the Marathon is spread out between all the events, which makes good sense consider- ing it's a 26-mile race. In this event, you take a more man- agerial role over the runner, rather than controlling him directly. By setting sliders representing speed and rhythm, you can essentially tell the runner how to pace the next 10 kilometres. You can also give orders as to what to do next time he reaches a refreshment stand be it grab some water, glu- cose or a sponge to mop himself off with. If he doesn’t seem to be faring too badly then you can tell him to do nothing, but don’t be too sur- prised if you come back to him and find that he’s even- tually been removed from the race due to exhaustion
Once you have set your run- ner for the next stretch, you can move onto your next event, after which you will return to reset the runner for the following stretch. It’s such a simple idea, yet it adds a sense of continuity to
the game, stopping it from looking like a compilation of sporting games rather than the overall event it’s sup- posed to represent
MAKING A SPLASH
The first event is diving, and by playing this you realise why this game appeared on the Empire label, which is more commonly associated with strategic titles such as Pacific Islands. You have to perform four dives chosen from a list of 88 different combinations, all of varying difficulty such as an inward with a triple somersault ora handstand with a backflip and a twist. Before perform- ing each dive, you can watch a computer demonstration of how it should be done, then it's your turn. You will spend your time watching a small
WHERE THERE'S AWAY...
Each event can be played in a number of ways
The most common option before each game is the difficulty level, from National to World ranking. On top of that, there are four types of shooting, four types of cycle race, 88 different dives from four heights and four dif- ferent swimming strokes to use. With all those options, there are
the game!
Changing the pace of the runner is vital. Setting it just right will see them at the front of the pack.
circle with two balls, one inside and one outside, rather than the large, animated sprite of the diver or the intri- cate backdrop of the pool itself. As the inner ball moves, you have to try and follow it with the outer one
Next comes showjumping. Displayed using very fast 3D polygons, this is essentially a horse simulator.The idea is to weave around a small box, leaping over suspended hori- zontal poles as fast as you can. Hitting the poles incurs a penalty. The controls are a little more straightforward on this event: left and right steer the horse, forward makes it run faster and pulling back slows it down.
WAGGLING AWAY
Swimming and Velodrome Cycling are the two rhythmic events. The former requires precise swings of the joystick with carefully timed firebut- ton presses, while the latter is an all-out, rattle-it-until-it- breaks racer. Swimming is viewed side-on, with the two swimmers splashing about in independently scrolling lanes. A meter shows the speed of the rhythm you are currently using, and a heart appears telling you when to breathe. Failing to press the button at this point will cause your player to slow down and eventually drown, so it’s probably worth stick- ing to it as rigidly as you can. Velodrome cycling is a race around a banked loop. Viewed with polygons, the idea is to keep as low down on the bank as possible, while waggling away like mad. This is the most unin- spired event in the package, and though it looks very nice,
there’s nothing here to keep you playing.
The final event is actually four different types of shoot- ing in one, although you can only choose one of them. You aim your cursor over either clay pigeons, trap targets, targets mounted on cut-out boars or standard targets Both forms of target shooting are simple enough, but clay pigeon and trap shooting are a lot more demanding on even the fastest reflexes.
International Sports Chal- lenge isn't the greatest sports simulation ever released, and six events aren't nearly enough to keep people com- ing back for more. On the whole, it’s a well thought out game, excellently presented with a lot of effort placed on making it playable. If sports are your thing, you'll love it.
NAME: INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CHALLENGE COMPANY: EMPIRE CONTACT: 0268 541126
PRICE: £29.99 RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW MIN MEMORY : N/A
GRAPHICS
SOUND
VALUE FOR MONEY PLAYABILITY
ce £3 2
Wide mix of styles
Original approaches to popular themes
Intuitive, easy to grasp controls
PROS AND CONS
Disk swapping can be a pain
Not enough events
A nervous look round from a horse that doesn’t fancy breaking its legs against the bars ahead.
Velodrome cycling, and here you can clearly see the attention to detail. Just look at the lycra shorts on the guy in front!
A flying leap into the 50m breaststroke. The other swimmer is already in the pool, showing how quick you have to be.
; BEE F Trap shooting, one of the four different types of shooting available in International Sports Challenge, lets you shoot from five different angles to the trap.
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THE COOL CROC TWINS
When ideas for arcade games start to get a bit thin on the ground, out come the cutesie characters. Paul Presley does battle with the coolest set of green reptiles to arrive on the scene since the turtles
ake a dollop of summer spirit, two bog-standard
cutesie characters, a healthy slice of aver- age arcade gameplay, add a pinch of originality and what have you got? Another in the long line of summer standard arcade
releases designed to fill the gaps between the more weighty, thought-pro- voking simulation or | | strategy games that take up your valuable ST gaming time.
The Cool Croc Twins, from Empire's new arcade label, Arcade Masters, fol- lows the recipe to the letter
BUYERS GUID
Are the crocs the coolest around? Our chart shows how it compares with other arcade games on the market.
Gra Sou Com Cha Ori Overall 1Volfied 3 3 2 4 3 68% 2TheCoolCrocTwins 2 3 3 2 4 62% 3 Video Kid 3 3 2 4 2 60% 4 Turtles 2 2 2 4 1 55%
Key: Gra — Graphics, Sou - Sound, Com - Complexity, Cha - Challenge, Ori - Originality.
and subsequently neither excites nor disappoints in any major way. A simple little intro sequence sets the scene: Punk and Funk Croc (twins, no less) have to battle through 60 screens of may- hem to win the love of Daisy Crocette.
ACROC’S GOTTA DO...
The key to completing each level is the lighting of several blocks dotted in strategic places around each screen. You do this by the very sim- ple task of headbutting them. What makes this a little more tricky is that most blocks can only be accessed from certain platforms, not all of which are horizontal. To get to the more out-of-reach platforms, you rotate the crocs through 360° and jump from place to place. Once all the lights are on, a level is complete.
Turning the lights off again are various bargain bucket monsters, roaming the plat- forms, lethal to the touch but disposable by jumping on them. Add to that the ran- domly appearing bonuses and you're left with nothing more than the usual fare.
It scores points in the 360° contro! method, which adds some challenge and originali- ty, but once you're used to this (and let’s face it, no arcade control system is tricky to get used to these days), it’s all quite ordinary.
The Cool Croc Twins is pleas- ant enough and in an arcade would be just the thing to waste a couple of 50 pence pieces on, but it’s certainly not the something that you'd want to waste any serious money on.
More original than most arcade games
Mindless, inoffensive fun
PROS AND CONS
No long-term appeal
Controls can be a little
87
The title of this game is somewhat misleading, as Paul Presley discovers
here's been a good range of plat- form games over
the past few months, with almost every taste catered for. Wacky humorists have had Robocod, mean and moody types have had Harlequin, fantasy role-play- ers have had Leander, and even modern-day Ninjas have been looked after with First Samurai. Now, thanks to Graftgold and Renegade, we've got something for the cutesie fans with Fire and Ice. The name may conjure up images of an epic battle between good and evil across majestic landscapes with all manner of nasty weapons, but one look at the single- toothed grin, the shiny bulbous nose and the huge green eyes on the cover soon puts you right.
Fire and Ice tel\ls of one man’s quest to find and cap- ture an intergalactic criminal
Lots of original ideas Cute characters and a fun graphical style Plenty of game for your money
PROS AND CONS
Difficulty a tad over the top Lacking in addictive appeal Confusing later levels
by the name of Suten. € Having escaped from a maximum security a prison, he has made his way to Earth, closely followed by the best prison guard around. Knowing that a direct confrontation with Suten would spell disaster for the Earth and its inhabitants, the guard needs to find a hero amongst the creatures of this fair planet. Instead of choos- ing a human, he treks down to the Arctic on the assump- tion that Suten would set up residence in a deserted area and that to avoid detection he'll have to go as far as pos- sible. There resides one Cool Coyote, the perfect candidate for herodom (and if that hasn't convinced you that Fire and Ice is giving Robocod a run for its money in the silly plot stakes, then nothing pos- sibly could).
It must be said at this point that if Cool Coyote doesn't make further computer game appearances, there is no jus- tice in this world. As a character he is one of the, well, coolest to come along for ages. He looks good, is well animated, doesn't fall into the age-old trap of doing something if left alone for ages (such as tapping the screen or looking at you with his hands spread wide), and has bags of potential for superstar status.
A COLD START Presentation-wise, Fire and Ice is a bit of a surprise. On the surface it doesn't look like
anything special, with a style akin to most other cutesy platformers. There is a bit more to it than meets the eye though, and possibly the rea- son that you barely give the look of the game much thought as you slip and slide around the screen is because it's just detailed enough to fade into the background, leaving you with the task of playing the game. Simply put, there is nothing to offend you, from a graphical point of view. The sprites are clearly defined and you're never left wondering what something is. The backgrounds suit the various levels and are even put to some use, with bad guys popping out from behind bushes or doors or dropping down from trees.
The same could be said for the sound quality, but then one man’s Bach is another man’s Iron Maiden. The music that continues to play
STEP BY STEP 4 =>
throughout the game (espe- cially the title sequence when it's combined with Mr Coyote playing the piano) will cer- tainly appeal to some, while others will be reaching for the volume knob within seconds. It's all a matter of taste.
Each level starts with a handy mini-map of the cur- rent world, showing all the locations (apart from secret ones) and allowing you to plan out your route, which is more important than it sounds. Because of the time limit, you really do need to know what you're doing and where you're going. To make things that bit harder (not that it needs it), you can turn them off.
To reach the end, you're going to have to battle through 30 levels set across five different worlds. Egyp- tian levels, underwater, dark forests, ice worlds and Ama- zonian jungles make up Cool
Your igloo firmly locked and your trusty puppy by your side, you're all set to brave the world. First test, a penguin.
A few ice pellets and the penguin is no longer a threat. Once
frozen, a simple charge through him will result in...
etween ar at the offending creature to ‘
ar ps { ) en | S } 5] } i a t tc nis r T r S } { it sh? touch is that y 7 NAME: te ccaey COMPANY: belied ith da aS CONTACT: E K eS you to bad GQuys e 3 gives tnemt é “ held by various and leaves them vulnerable PRICE: enemies. As you Even better is the skier wt RELEASE DATE: as : : : might expect, when frozen, continues to peers cment CE POTEET) TEMA killing the bad slide in the direction he was MIN MEMORY : items, giving bonuses galore when found and : ; pra’ te 1 : . guys allows you to travelling until he hits some- rene. Ap baer collect the pieces thing GRAPHICS Sooce Coyote’s land and although they hold and the key piece, Fire and Ice isn't all nice SOUND aoece they are all varied when it once free of its captive’s con- touches and cute animation : —* comes to graphics, a lot of trol, will do its best to seek though. In fact, several areas VALUE FOR MONEY eaee the time you just get the you out, eliminating the need serve more to irritate than to PLAYABILITY ee3 oe impression that it’s more of to chase after it while fending entertain. One of these is the sae d the same. To be fair, the pro- off approaching villains time limit that’s imposed VERAL 2 grammers have tried to spice Killing bad guys is also dif- upon each level. Even without 0 L if things up with a few extra ferent to other games. Instead the snowflake slowly dripping types of bad guys, butis of merely shooting them, you away at the top of the screen there really that much differ- have to fire enough ice pellets (one stem per “day” to indi ... demolition! This particular penguin was carrying part of Beyond the walruses is a rather handy bonus block. the key needed to open the exit. Best collect it quick. Shooting it reveals everything from ice shields to multiple
A bit further on, you come across some ice caves. Inside live a With the bonus block exhausted, you find a switch on the few nasty walruses, but a quick freeze and they're history, floor. Pressing it causes an ice ladder to form. Wonder where allowing you to explore the icy underground in more detail. it leads?
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The puppies are more than just irritatingly cute. They also fire ice
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pellets at bad guys and can reward you with extra lives.
cate how close Suten is to finding and killing you) you will find it extremely tough to get to the end. Having to worry about time merely means that you die more often than you should, simply because you worry about rushing things.
Another foible that you will notice is the difficulty rating. While the actual platform sections of the game are nicely balanced between challengingly hard and irritat- ingly difficult, you aren't given nearly enough amounts of gameplaying time to expe- rience them. One-touch deaths and a minimum three lives is hardly enough to allow you to get a decent start on the intricacies of each level. Either an energy bar, allowing for several hits or some kind of credit or password system letting you continue from the level you just died on, rather than starting over for the Nth time
would have been better. There is the option to have a practice run on the first four worlds with nine lives, but a little more leeway in the actu- al game would have been
infinitely more preferable. Occasions can also arise when there are just too many bad guys on the screen at once. The most notable cir-
Clouds can be hit with pellets, causing them to start snowing. These flakes can then be used as snow bombs.
cumstance is on the forest levels with the minute tree spirits. Whenever you pass a tree, these guys Start to pour out and follow you around the map. When you've got one of these zooming up from behind and a shield- - bearing guard
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from the front, it’s a safe bet that another one of your lives is about to wave goodbye.
Things can get confusing on some of the later levels - take the Amazonian jungle screens for example. Colour clashes between sprites and backgrounds mean that you don’t always see bad guys until you're dead
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On a brighter note though, the puppies are a great source of entertainment. They bound around, helping you destroy the enemy, pro- viding bonuses and extra lives. From a gaming aspect, they act as a shield, bound- ing off in front of you, firing ice pellets whenever you do at whatever's approaching. The great thing is that they can't be killed and they will quite happily follow you around whenever you are within sight. Even better, should you manage to get one through the exit door before you leave, you're rewarded with an extra life.
Fire and Ice is a mixture of original touches and irritating moments. All the usual ele- ments are there (bonus weapons, smart bombs, a variety of scenarios), but they don't all work as well as they should. Where it tries to be original, it often succeeds, but these areas aren't enough to combat the problems with the actual playing of the game. You could do far worse for your money than Fire and Ice, but you could also doa lot better.
Fire and Ice may not be a total scorcher, but how hot is it compared with the rest of today’s top-grade platform games?
Gra Sou Lev Dif Ori Overall Robocod 7 7 32 8 7 90% Harlequin 7 6 20 7 8 82% First Samurai & 7 4 7 8 81% Fireandice 7 7 30 8 7 70%
Key: Gra = Graphics, Sou = Sound, Lev = Levels, Dif = Difficulty, Ori = Originality. All marks (except Overall and Levels) are out of ten.
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US Gold's back catalogue is awash with coin-op conver- sions: some of these are very good, while others are, frankly, disappointing.
Crackdown, a one-player blaster with a simultaneous two-player option, is its latest re-release on budget, and was originally a Sega arcade machine that met with rea- sonable success a couple of years ago.
The players control gun-tot- ing heroes Ben and Andy, who have been drafted in to save the world from the das- tardly Doctor K, the evil mastermind behind the Repli- cants. This race of killer Cyborgs has no feelings and only one goal - the destruc- tion of the entire human race.
The Replicants are holed up over 16 different landscapes, and it's down to Ben and Andy to enter each level and plant time bombs at strategic positions throughout each stage.
Our two heroes begin the game with a machine gun and a limited supply of missiles, more of which can be collect- ed along the way by raiding weapons caches.
The players have less than three minutes to plant the explosive devices, find the
ke PAADS
36
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way out and escape to fight on another, more difficult level.
With 16 levels and a whole host of different enemies, there’s certainly plenty to see in Crackdown, but unfortu- nately there isn’t an awful lot to do, besides wandering about each level, dropping bombs, shooting baddies and picking up weapons.
You don’t even have to make much of an effort to search for the timebombs - their positions are clearly marked on the scrolling map at the top of the screen!
The graphics are nothing special either - they may have been something to shout about when the game was first released, but these days they look quite basic.
Crackdown isn't likely to have you sweating buckets late into the night, simply because of the lack of action.
Looking for a real bargain? Paul Rand checks out the best in budget software — games that won't break the bank
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HIT SQUAD £7.99
This is another coin-op con- vert and another one- or two-player blaster, this time from Ocean's budget arm, The Hit Squad. Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Mon- sters made its ST debut through Domark, who origi- nally picked up the rights to reproduce the smash-hit Ten- gen arcade game on computer formats. Again, the plot revolves around saving the human race. A colony of folk stationed on Planet X has been kidnapped, enslaved and forced to work ona robot-building programme which, when completed, will be used against the Earth. Enter ace monster-mashers Jake and Duke. Their orders are to fly to Planet X, rescue the hostages in each area and escape to the next level via the handy Port ‘o’ Matic transportation device at the end of the stage. A simple
One of the most innovative graphics engines ever creat- ed, Incentive’s Freescape system, popped up a few years ago in the ground- breaking game, Driller. Fast, solid 3D polygons were used to create a massive, believ- able world that put the player
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task, were it not for the hordes of robot monsters milling about. As soon as they set eyes upon Jake and Duke, they storm toward them, guns blazing. The only way to stop them is by the use of a powerful laser gun which can be recharged by picking up special green power pods. Once all of the humans have been freed and beamed aboard Jake and Duke’s ship, it's off to the Port ‘o’ Matic and onto the next, more hazardous area. A massive guardian lies in wait after every three stages and, once he’s been defeated, the boys must leap onto their Cyber Sleds and traverse a maze to collect bonus points. Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters is the B- movie of computer games. The sprites are hilariously drawn and move around just as ham actors do in low-bud- get films - stilted and unconvincing ~ although in
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right in the thick of the action, and the fact that the game itself was quite dull didn't deter the programmers from producing a number of other titles using the Freescape system.
Castle Master is the third game in the series and, whereas the previous two adventures were set firmly in
the case of Robot Monsters this is entirely deliberate! Visual humour plays an important part in the game - watch out for human slaves covered in soot and looking wide-eyed and perplexed when shot at, and the outra- geous Port ‘o’ Matic which literally sucks the characters to the next stage. The game
the future, Castle Master takes us back to days of old, when castles were everywhere and most of them held sinister surprises for those who dared to venture into them.
Your twin is imprisoned in one of the towers of Castle Eternity and you must rescue him if your souls are to be kept safely away from Magis- ter, the Castle Master. Castle Eternity is a maze of tunnels and catacombs, a place where treasure rests in abun- dance and danger lurks around every corner.
Puzzle solving is the name of the game: keys can be found to unlock otherwise impassable doors and potions picked up to help you in your quest. The game is almost entirely mouse controlled, with scores of icons placed around the edges of the screen - just click on the appropriate icon to move around the playing area, pick up objects and so on.
APE FROM THE PLANET OF THE ROBOT MONSTERS
itself is brilliant, although dif- ficult at times. Robots constantly surge onto the screen, and that trigger finger is going to be tired at the end of a session. High-quality gameplay and even higher quality laughs are in store for anyone who plays this game.
oooo6
Castle Master is undoubtedly the best of the Freescape games. This time around, the brilliant graphic style is com- plemented by some worthwhile gameplay which hooks the player from the very beginning.
Some of the puzzles are incredibly devious, and the amount of problems to over- come will, at times, seem daunting. But this game has that all-important “Just One More Go” factor that keeps you banging away into the early hours.
The control system can become tricky to handle at times, but generally it’s very straightforward to use, with all icons neatly positioned and easy to access.
If graphic adventures appeal to you, you'd be hard pressed to find anything much better than Castle Master ~ especial- ly at this price.
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ELECTRONIC ARTS STAR PLAYER £7.99
What better time to release a game based upon the exploits of the F1 set, with the one
~ and only Nigel Mansell riding
so high in the Grand Prix clouds? Electronic Arts’ Fer- rari Formula One takes the player through the entire rac- ing season and the trials and tribulations that go with it. When the simulation was released back in 1988, it was an enormous success; featur- ing all the Grand Prix circuits of the time, aspiring Ayrtons are given the opportunity not only to race around a variety of tracks at astonishingly high speeds, but also to step into the shoes of some of the unsung heroes of the F1 game, such as the pit crews. The racing section of Ferrari Formula One is viewed in the now-familiar first person 3D perspective, with the objec- tive being to complete each race in the best position pos- sible. But before any thoughts of victory can enter the player’s head, the car must be set up in the correct
manner. Racer becomes mechanic as the car is taken into the garage, where all modifications are made, before entering the wind tun- nel for aerodynamics testing. After a few laps of the test track to check the running of the vehicle under real-life conditions, it’s time to trans- port the car, spares and everything - and everyone - else necessary to the race, where the fruits of your labour can be savoured or scorned.
Ferrari Formula One went down a storm when it was first released four years ago, and it’s still surprisingly playable today. The game has aged in comparison with some of the more recent offerings which make up the driving genre, but there's a lot of features in Ferrari For- mula One that can’t be found anywhere else - the wind tun- nel, for instance. A browse of the detailed yet easy-to-read manual and you're set up for Formula One fun to rival that of Mr Mansell himself.
oo06
FERRARI FORMULA ONE
CHUCK YEAGER'S ADVANCED FLIGHT TRAINER
ELECTRONIC ARTS STAR PERFORMERS £7.99
Wipe all thoughts of shouting “Tally Ho” and blasting the enemy clear out of your mind. This may be a flight simula- tor, but there’s no-one to kill, no installations to destroy - not even a whiff of a bogey, . General Chuck Yeager was one of the most famous test pilots ever, who risked life and limb to prove that some of the contraptions coming out of aircraft hangars across the world really were capable of staying up in the air for more than a couple of min- utes. Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer offers up a vari- ety of different planes, simply aching to have you push them to their very limits.
If you've played a flight sim- ulator before, you'll be well
Wa Views Missions Replay
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Fun and flying in EA‘s latest Star Performer, Chuck Yeager’s Advanced Flight Trainer.
versed in the various controls and options available. If not, there's little need to worry - the game comes complete with an audio cassette in which General Yeager himself talks you through the myriad of details you'll need to know, as well as giving a tutorial on your first flight. Choose from a whole host of planes, from Spitfires to Space Shuttles, F- 16 Falcons to F117 Stealth Fighters, each of which han- dles differently.
A multitude of test scenar- ios are included and, when you think you're good enough, try a formation flight with a number of computer- controlled flyboys!
Apart from having to go through the rigmarole of for- matting a brand new disk in order to play the game (why it's not possible to simply play from the original | just do not know), Chuck Yeager’s
Advanced Flight Trainer is okay, although you may pre- fer some sort of point to your flight sims. Old Chuck may have enjoyed pushing aircraft past their limits, but it makes for a rather repetitive game. The control system leaves a lot to be desired too - the player has to centre the con- trols himself, instead of the computer automatically doing so for him as in most other flight simulations, which can be most frustrating when you're attempting a nosedive and can't pull out because the plane is twisting and turning under its own steam. Aspiring kamikaze pilots may find Chuck Yeager’s Advanced Flight Trainer their kind of game, but everyone else should definitely give it a test flight before parting with the cash.
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CODEMASTERS £24.99
Does the thought of five games in one budget package grab you? Well, why not take a look at the latest compila- tion from the masters of the cheapie, Codemasters? Car- toon Collection is a two-disk affair featuring a quintet of titles - Treasure Island Dizzy, CJ's Elephant Antics, Slightly Magic, Spike In Transylvania and Seymour Goes To Holly- wood.
In Seymour Goes To Holly- wood, the title character is aiming to hit the big time in Tinsel Town, but on arriving for his first day finds that the director, Dirk Findelmeyer II, has left for a holiday in Miami and locked away all the scripts. It's search and use action all the way as Seymour hunts down the scripts that will launch him on the road to superstardom!
Spike In Transylvania centres around the exploits of Spike The Viking who, surprisingly enough, finds himself washed onto the shores of the dreaded village of Tran- sylvania! Curiously, it turns out that the same fate befell all of his friends and they have been locked away in a castle inhabited by all sorts of evil creatures. Spike must find the keys which will unlock the cells, whilst avoid- ing the attentions of vampire bats, castle guards and spit-
ting moose heads (!).
Slightly Magic casts you as the dimwitted sorcerer’s apprentice, Slightly. Bigwiz the Wizard has left his castle to perform various feats of illusion, leaving spells scat- tered throughout the building. What's worse is that Sunburnt the Dragon has captured the fair princess Croak! Slightly’s task is to collect the spells and use them to slay the dragon.
Globe-trotting elephants may not be an everyday occurrence, but CJ’s Elephant Antics gives us a taste of just that phenomenon. CJ is aboard a plane bound for England when, without warn- ing, the craft hits turbulence, smashing open CJ's cage. Grabbing a nearby umbrella, CJ floats down to earth - France, to be precise - and begins the search for his long-lost family.
Treasure Island Dizzy is the only game in the collection featuring Codemasters’ very own ovoid hero, In his latest adventure, Dizzy finds him- self marooned on an island after being forced to walk the plank during a luxury cruise after using the Captain's wooden leg as a cricket stump! Take control of the eggy one and get him back to the Yolkfolk in time to lodge a compensation claim with the insurance company.
Cartoon Collection is a great compilation; the games are fun but not too taxing, mak. ing them ideal for younger players. CJ’s Elephant Antics is probably the best of the bunch, although all of them are enjoyable in their own way. Graphically they may not be stunning, but what they lack in looks is certainly made up for in toriiis Of playability.
oo606
96
MANCHESTER UNITED
training and in fact everything
£7.99 that Alex Ferguson has to cope
There are few football games that com- with on a day-to-day basis.
bine both arcade and management but Managing your players so that iE
of them all, Manchester United is at the you progress up the league dur-
top of the first division. Originally pub- ing the course of the season, use
lished by Krisalis, the game cast you as your squad to their best advan-
the manager of Manchester United tage, ensuring that each
Football Club, its players, finances, individual receives the right train- ing inorder to ~ strengthen their game. You allo- cate four areas out of seven for the team to concentrate on and either normal or heavy training but beware! Beware of the latter though: training injuries can be sus- tained and will put your star player onto the injury list.
Having bought, sold
and trained players and
SEASON STARTS THIS
WITH UNITED HOPEFUL THAT iss HAMPIONSHIP TO MANCHESTER.
IN WILL BRING THE j
"a canes a picked the team for the next match you then go to the arcade section of the game. The two teams play from left to right on the screen, and are represented in glorious 3D. Amongst several options, you can determine the length of the game, the level of skill employed by each team and your own team’s for- mation. Then, if you move the joystick, you can play the match with you con- trolling a player - or conversely, if you don't touch the joystick, the game will
Put yourself in Alex’s boots with Manchester United.
i
PRISM LEISURE 15 te £2.90 " 1 “Imagine a game ’ without violence, Jf yetaschillingas § “=. —— — - abandoned places : where people have died and never returned.” That’s the promise of this new budget title distributed by Wizard PD. It’s another of the God-type games, but this one isa little different. You are an Ancient, trying to protect the Archipelagos from the Visitors, who are slowly infesting the lan There are “Arbore-
al trees” that infest the land and chase you slowly, while you try to destroy their obelisk and save the island.
This is not a game to play when you have five minutes to spare and want to kill a few aliens. It needs thought and patience, especially when you're trying to build up enough power to go for the obelisk, as this can involve endless running around the island looking for the spores that give you the power to disinfect and build more land. The music has a “where have | heard that before?” quality about it and reminded me of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. There are 9,999 levels to explore, some are nicely tongue in cheek. Indeed, a sense of humour is evident, but is somewhat buried by the game-play. However, | don’t think anyone could be disappointed at paying £2.90 for a game of this quality.
q. Ecologically sound? These trees kill!
"
take place with the computer playing both teams.
VOOR
CHALLENGE
GBH
with good graphics and sound,
as manual or computerised gears and two different control
pad. You then get a choice of music from the in-car Hi-Fi.
easy (seven races), medium (10) or hafd (15), and in one The title screens are outstanding, giving every detail you'll
and nicely detailed without being too complex, and the pits Collision dam-
slow down when
At £7.99 it’s well
£7.99 STi A Gremlin classic when first
released, Lotus Esprit Turbo Chal-
and is great to play with two peo-
settings for the joystick.
Take to the road for practice and compete with the likes of player mode, the other screen shows mechanics quietly ever need to know about the Lotus Esprit Turbo SE, except screen is detailed and pleasant. You'll need to visit these in age is minimal,
contact is made
worth adding to
LOTUS TURBO lenge is a split-screen racing game EI BUY BUDG ple. You're faced with options such Player two can choose to use either a joystick or the key- Nijel Mainsail (sic) and co. You have a choice of practice, working away on another car. how to earn the money to buy one! The graphics are smooth the later stages. but causes you to with another car. any collection.
Lotus driving with- out the insurance problems.
GAMES T/P
ae 8 oe LU Ne VJ
| ) Te @ SF i FF <a, £
’ = < , i \
Trapped in a dark, dingy cell, somewhere in the region of Turnvale? Help is at hand, with an assortment of tips for you to get to grips with the first Virtual Theatre game...
SECTION 1 —- PRISON TURNVALE PRISON is not the place where anybody would like to be held captive, so escaping from the prison cell is probably in the forefront of your mind. To begin your jail-break, you have to collect the Torch which falls onto your bed.
Move to the far left of your cell by pressing the left button, and wait for the “Scorl|” to enter. Position the cursor above the door and when the Scorl walks to your bed, the cursor will transform into an EXIT arrow. Press the left button on the doorway to escape into the outer cell. Point at the door you have just come through and press the right button on your mouse (the left button will take you back through the door, which is NOT GOOD). Select close and lock.
The next thing to do is to have a chat with the prisoner hanging on the wall, then exit through the right-hand door to the guard room. Look at the barrel (to see tap) and collect the knife which is on top. Collect the bottle which is beside the sack, then use the knife to open it. To dothis, point the knife at the sack, press the right mouse button, select “use” from the action list and then select “knife” from the objects. Look at the sack and you will receive a coin. Exit through the right-hand door to the torture chamber and use the knife on the leather cords. Leave through the door to enter the guard room, then use the bottle on the tap.
Now all you have to do is, exit the stage by going left, give the bottle to the hanging prisoner, tell Ratpouch to push the bricks and exit stage right. You are now free to continue your adventure in the village.
PRISON LIFE? In your cell, look through the crack in the right of the wall to see your guard walking into the torture chamber. Look through the grill on the guardroom wall to see the Scor\ in your cell.
Examine the prisoner's belt and the pouch on it. (This is a red herring which you cannot get, but will think you need, when someone mentions its contents later!)
SECTION 2 You must find the person that Wulf told you about and start to work out what is going on.
IDLE CHIT-CHAT
As you explore and map the village, you should talk to every- one you meet in order to introduce yourself. They will all be strangers until you've spoken to them at least once. When this walk through tells you to talk to someone, it will assume that you have already introduced yourself. On some occasions you may have to talk to someone several times for them to tell you all the information they have.
ROBOCOP 3 Hold down the SHIFT key and type THE DIDDY MEN. You
should now be
through the levels
BACK TO THE FUTURE 2
Start the game and then pause it. Type THE ONLY NEAT THING TO DO. You can
able to skip
now skip levels with Z, and you should have infinite lives Select the password option
and type SORCERY for infinite energy
DRAKKHEN
Generate a character using the following code: Enter 31415927 instead of a name press RETURN. Then type SUPERVISOR
This month we bring you some tips to get you further in Gremlin’s Space Crusade, a guide to the early play in Lure Of The Temptress and a selection of hints and cheats
and then the character's name. This will result in raised statistics and F10 will
restore hit points
DEFENDER 2
lf you type Raven while play- ng you get two little extras
It will make you invincible, and N will take you straight to
the next level
GAMES T/P
Empire's follow-up to Team Yankee is a test of your battle skills. If you're still struggling, take some advice from Steve Murgan
SOM Miaemeam Unit 2 | Unit
Linit 4 -ae al a
played Team Yankee before, it’s a good idea to do so before starting on Pacific Islands - at the very least use the practice option thoroughly before going into battle, otherwise your war will be both short and brutally expensive.
This game features many improvements over its prede- cessor. Instead of repeating the same missions, you are effectively fighting a war which gets more difficult as you go along.
Perhaps the major difference is the added management ele- ment. In addition to fighting battles, you are responsible for procurement, armament, and budgets, and it is the lat- ter that poses the greatest problems.
Although it is not particular- ly difficult to win a battle, your forces may suffer so much damage that it is easier to quit and start again.
SETTING UP
It is inadvisable to use the default arming options, as the M113s you end up with are utterly useless - they can't fire shells or TOW missiles, and machine guns are of little use.
4 f you haven't
It is best for each platoon to have some TOW (Tube- launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided) missile capabili- ty, as the effective range is nearly twice that of an HE or Sabot shell. However, there is a dilemma here; whether to go with the M2 Bradley which carries seven TOW missiles each, or to trade quality for quantity and go with the ITV, which will carry 12 each. In battle, the M2 is far more enduring than the ITV, although it does have a ten- dency to run out of missiles if you get trigger-happy. Ina close-in fight, ITVs get clob- bered very easily, due to their slow speed and thin armour. If you are given the choice, go
with the M2s.
Arm each M1 with five to 10 HEAT rounds, 30 SABOT rounds and a few smoke shells. Load up the ITVs/M2s up with
as many TOW missiles as
they can carry. Use the x10 icons to speed up this part.
BATTLE TACTICS
Stay out of the open plains wherever possible. You are safest in forests. If you have to cross a plain, use a bound- ing overwatch.
Use zoom lenses, battle- sights and nightsights wherever possible. Not only do they make it easier to spot tanks, but they will prepare you for night fighting.
Use engine smoke to con- fuse enemies and identify friendlies (the bad guys don’t use engine smoke - at least not on the first island).
When fighting in daylight, if you are aiming at a non-firing target, it is a good idea to briefly switch the nightsights off to ensure that the target is neither friendly (don’t shoot!) nor dead (don’t waste your ammo!). If the target is firing back, however, follow stan- dard procedure, - shoot first and ask questions later.
Keep your vehicles in single file when travelling (especial- ly when on roads), except when crossing rivers (When they should be lined abreast to minimise crossing time).
One howling shortcoming in this game is that it doesn’t allow you to reverse, so while your vehicles are turning and assuming formation they are vulnerable to retaliatory attack. There are several ways to minimise this risk, but the best way is to attack from different directions.
Get a feel for the location and heading of the unit you are controlling. For instance, if you know that it is the fur- thest unit east and you spot a group of tanks to the east,
FULL SCREEN MODE
Use the full-screen mode for fire control, reconnaissance and fine navigation. Use the quadrant mode for general navigation and checking on the big picture. While spend- ing most of your time in full-screen mode, get into a habit of briefly checking the quadrant mode to see who is moving and what is going on. Make sure you have the appropriate weapon loaded and ready for unexpected bad- dies. In a mixed platoon, selecting Sabot then selecting
ra —~
TOW will mean that both are ready when you need them.
Be extremely careful when shooting at enemy tanks posi- tioned near civilian buildings - sometimes the building will go up instead.
Similarly, when shooting at one of a cluster of buildings, an adjacent one sometimes explodes, and Murphy's law means that the resulting pile of rubble is all that is left of a hospital, a house or a church - and you have to pay for the damage.
Enemies have a nasty habit of hiding behind their burning comrades. If you have difficul- ty hitting one of these varmints, move the unit to give a better angle.
Although TOW is more accurate at long range and SABOT is more useful against armour, always pack a few spare HEAT rounds in case you run out of TOW missiles or SABOT shells - they are not as good, but they are better than nothing.
Try to be patient. Make sure that everyone is in the correct position, facing the right direction and loaded up with the right weapons before launching a major offensive.
Battlesights don’t lock on buildings, helicopters (those blue contraptions) or missile batteries (looks like a truck with a crab on top).
It certainly pays to be vigi- lant. If you are waiting for someone to get into position, check the views from all units. You may see enemy tanks before their flag appears on the map.
One major improvement to the gameplay is the “all stop” button in the 3D window. It works like a toggle, ie, hit “all stop” (wait for TOW missile
ready), fire missile (wait for boom!) and hit “all stop” once
more to be on your merry way.
Fuel and ammo dumps are clusters of tiny boxes ona patch of brown ground. You have to get in close to take them out. TOW missiles, HEAT rounds and gunfire all work well against them.
Terminate scouts (fast-mov- ing tanks), and communications installations with extreme prejudice, or they will pass on information about your location and strength. You should avoid shooting churches, hospitals and civilian homes —- you are likely to find that they will be extremely bad for your bank balance!
To qualify as a Tank commander, you have to know friends from foes. Get it wrong and your buddies get fried!
TTYyYyYYyyyrypyy?T
The mission briefing. Setting up artillery support. Keep your eyes open here, otherwise you won't know your objectives.
99
100
Now that you've struggled through the first five levels of Domark’s medieval epic, you're probably wondering
what to
do next.
Wait no
longer, as
we let you into the secrets of the remaining levels...
LEVEL 6
There are a number of keys and switches which can be used to open doors anywhere in this level. The following simplified diagram and key should clarify what does what.
With regards to food, water, potions, equipment and any creatures the same rules apply as before.
@ Switch A opens door B.
B® Key C, which can be found in the chest, opens door D.
@ Once through door D, throw fireballs down the corridor until key E appears.
@ Key E opens lock F.
@ In order to collect key G use the switch combination 2-4- 3-1 (in quick succession) to gain access to the roam.
@ Key G opens lock H.
@ Collect key J, which opens lock K. You will need an empty chest to solve “| am 1, act like 6”.
@ Exit level via teleporter T.
LEVEL 7: “THE MAZE”
@ Switch C opens wall Z. @ Key A opens door Y. @ Key B opens door X.
@ Lock W is opened by the key
at the end of the “Egyptian”.
@ Collect both keys, open the wall with switch C and go through EXIT 1 to level 8.
LEVEL 8:
“THE EGYPTIAN LEVEL” Throw three coins at the fountain (or urn) at the end of the long corridor (past the Sarcophagi). Come back to the double doors near the entrance and press the secret switch near them. Now press the next secret switch to enter the “Zodiac Room”. To get the key you need to place two men on each pressure pad in the following order (which, incidentally, is their order in the Zodiac):
. CAPRICORN . AQUARIUS . PISCES
. ARIES
. TAURUS
. GEMINI
OahWND —
It's worth noting that your key collector can walk one step further each time that a switch is activated without getting teleported.
Collect the key and go through the double doors. In order to solve the “sacrifice puzzle”, stand one figure with no items at the end of the passage. Now have a sec- ond character throw a fireball
LANDS
LEVEL EIGHT
at him. The fireball will explode inside the altar and the doors will open. Exit through these doors.
Now create a fireball, using the secret switch “send an appropriate sacrifice”. Send it into the teleporter - but be careful! If you mis-time the fireball, it will reappear behind you!
Walk the characters careful- ly around the pits (the switches do nothing), and push the secret switch in the alcove at the end of the pas- sage (with snake and torch). Now enter the shop. Do not buy the third item!
EXIT THE PASSAGE.
“Read the hieroglyphics” - light all the decorated walls by walking around them. Eventually the keys you require will appear. All four keys must be collected in order to enter the next series of rooms.
“Send me your champion” - operate the three switches and send your best fighter through the door. Leave all his items behind (“Travel light”) and guide him to the switch. He will teleport beyond the axe. Now press the secret switch, enter the room and kill the Minotaur using the torch. Collect the chest (which contains two keys). One will let you out. Kill the other Minotaur (also with a torch). Put the two spare keys in the two locks by the steps. This will create a teleporter back in the “Send me your champion” room. Now reunite your characters via the teleporter and collect the chest in the secret room beyond the steps. Go down the steps into level 9.
LEVEL 9
Use the chessboard to copy the switch pattern and lead
your men in formation in order to operate the four switches simultaneously. Throw a lit torch down the pits in order to open the next doors (“Light falls”). Now extinguish both torches in order to open the next doors. Send a fireball into the right- most teleporter to close the pit and open the wall. Go around to “Fire straight”. Send a fireball straight over the pits. Eventually two tele- porters will appear. Go into them and warp over the pits.
@ Read sign X. It will teleport you.
@ Try and read all the signs you encounter as they can move you around:
X—-> Y—-> Z—-> A—-> B— ->C
@ Key K opens lock L. @ Key G opens lock M.
@ Teleport out and go round again to H.
@ Exit through E to Level 10.
LEVEL 10
@ Pull switch A.
@ Push secret switch B. This
will open walls C and D.
@ Open and go through door D. Stand in corner E. This will open walls F and G.
@ Solve puzzle H: SWITCH—- > TELEPORTER—-> FIREBALL This opens doors J. Go in and collect the chest, which con-
tains key K.
@ Use key K to open either locks Lor M.
@ In order to open locks P or Q you will need to collect another key (R or S).
B Open the door. If you go via P you will need 2.5kg weight, whereas if you go via Q you will need three gold coins, but no more!
@ Kill the two anubises, col- lect the keys and exit into level 11.
LEVEL 11
Use all the gateway keys that you have collected, and go from room to room until you arrive at the final teleporter. Once you are there, you will need to collect the woodland key and then enter the tele- porter.You will now reappear in the “Maze”. Open the woodland door, find the steps and descend them into...
LEVEL 12
Exit this level via the tele- porter and reappear on...
LEVEL 13
Find and kill the Overlord (the cloaked figure), collect his key and use it to get into the temple room.
101
102
The backdrop with all potential screen zones marked in red. By doing this on an art package, you can note down the co-ordinates of the opposite corners as you go.
a
al Geel Ss
i pen ed ed ad ed = a a] TT ee] oe] oe] ele me] oe] oe] me] oer] seo ee] “mes] ses] pr] ie] oe] sr] sr]
CREATE YOUR
OWN STOS GAM
PART
FOUR
Last month we looked at making our sprites move around the screen. This month, in the penultimate part of our STOS tutorial, we'll take this one step further and see how we can connect all these sprites and make them respond to each other
he first thing that you T will need to do is to map
out the screen. Before you start, find out which areas are “safe” and which ones aren't.
“Safe” in this instance refers to pieces of backdrop that serve to support the main sprite, such as the wall at the bottom of our back- drop, and also the non-moving levels.
There is, however, a simple way to ensure that the squir- rel doesn’t fall through these when he walks over them. This time-saving option is called Zoning.
HERE TODAY, ZONE TOMORROW
Screen Zones are specially marked out areas on the screen that are read by the machine when prompted. It checks to see if a sprite has entered this zone, and then responds accordingly. For example, in a requester box, the “OK” button is a screen zone. The machine checks to see if the mouse pointer (sprite 0) has entered the zone and if the mouse button has been clicked. This tells the computer that you have accepted the choices you
made. Try this example.
5 REM LISTING 1
10 Mode 0:flash off
20 bar 50,100 to 100,200 30 set zone 1,50,100 to 100,200
40 locate 28,4:
50 if zone(0O) then print ” " else print “-Out-”
60 goto 40
in
See how the program tells you whenever the mouse pointer is inside the box. Just to prove that the filled box has nothing to do with it, delete line 20 by typing 20 and pressing return. Run the program again and you will see that the zone has now become invisible.
COMMANDS
There are only three dedicat- ed zone commands, all of which are very powerful if used correctly. A zone is cre- ated using the Set Zone command.
You can have up to 128 of these zones, and they are defined by giving the co-ordi-
nates of the top-left and bot- tom-right corners of the rectangle. Zones are, there- fore, always rectangular.
To clear a zone, the com- mand Reset Zone (x) is used. The X is the number of the zone you want to erase, and can be omitted if you want to get rid of all the zones you've created.
Finally, to test a zone, use the instruction t=Zone (x). T is any variable name, and X is the number of the sprite you want to test. T will either
register as the zone the sprite
was found in, or 0 if it’s out- side any of the defined zones.
IN ISOLATION
What you need to do first is to isolate the areas of the screen that are going to be solid platforms, and then build zones around them.
You could load the picture into an art package and work it out from there, but as we are working with STOS, we might as well do it with STOS. Try this program, which will tell you the current mouse pointer co-ordinates:
5 REM LISTING 2 10 Mode O: Flash Off 20 Load “(Insert your file
10 Mode O: Flash Off
20 Load “(Insert your name here)”
30 Gosub 1000
40 Locate 0,24
50 print zone(0)
60 goto 40
1000 Rem Set up your zones here
1010 Set Zone 1,X,Y to X1,Y1 1020 Set Zone 2..... 1030....
1999 Return
We'll discuss later how the main sprite will connect with these screen zones, but just quickly add these lines to
name here) 30 Locate 0,24
40 print X Mouse;” - ";Y Mouse
50 goto 30
This routine should help you find the opposing co-ordi- nates for your screen zones. Note them down, and just to make sure you have got the right ones, try to write a pro- gram that lets you check where each zone is using the mouse pointer. Here’s one way of doing it:
5 REM LISTING 3
your program. Before you do though, make sure the hot- spot on your squirrel sprites are in the bottom centre of the graphic
35 X=10:Y=10
40 Sprite 1,X,Y,1
42 Safe=0
45 lf jleft and x>1 then X=X-1 50 If jright and x<320 then X=X+1
55 if zone(1)<>0 then SAFE=1
56 if safe=O then y=y+2
If all goes well, you will find that your squirrel can happily
walk around on top of the solid areas, but will fall as soon as he walks off the edge.
MEETING MOVEMENT
You could conceivably contin- ue to set up screen zones around moving sprites, updating the location of the screen zone every time. This is impractical, though, and could cause the game to slow down heavily. The only real way of testing whether the squirrel is on another sprite is to use the STOS sprite colli- sion detection routines.
There is only one command that deals with sprite colli- sion: the Collide instruction. It works in the form Vari- able=Collide (Sprite number, width from the hot spot, height from the hot spot). The variable is a decimal number read in binary format that tells you exactly which sprite has collided with the desig- nated one. For example, if the variable is 16, which in bina- ry reads 00010000, this means that the fifth bit from the right is “lit”, therefore sprite five has collided with the one being checked. The system may seem a little tricky to get to grips with at first, but with practice it does lead to a very fast system that saves memory. Load in your sprite bank, and then try this example:
5 REM LISTING 4
10 Mode O: Flash Off
20 For a=1 to 4: Sprite a,a*40,50,a: Next a
30 For a=1 to 4: Sprite (a+4),a*40,100,(a+4):Next a 40 locate 5,20
50 print collide (0,10,10)
60 goto 40
See how the collide variable responds when it passes over the eight sprites. You can set a program to respond to dif- ferent sprites individually this way. Add the following lines:
If you make screen zones too large, or too close together, the player won't have any room to die. You can’t fall down a non- existent hole!
DO VOU WISH TO SAVE THE RESULTS? |
Zones are more commonly used to create requester boxes like this one. In this case, the three response boxes are screen zones.
4N=z
404
HI 005281|TIME 120/SCORE 001250| UF UE YE
SUPER
Next month we'll be adding some finer touches to the game, such as sound and an intro sequence — including this rather attractive title
screen!
51 If collide (0,10,10)=1 then shoot
52 if collide (0,10,10)=2 then boom
53 if collide (0,10,10)=4 then bell
That should give you some understanding as to how the collide instruction works. Remember, if you aren’t com- pletely sure, have a look in the manual. You'll find all the details on sprite collision on pages 94-95.
THE NEXT STAGE
Now comes one of the tricki- est parts so far. How do we make the squirrel sprite match the movement of the moving platform? It’s time to use a little clever variable manipulation.
In all the listings so far, where moving a sprite is con- cerned, I’ve used the variables X and Y to position the sprite. By placing the sprite position in these boxes, it instantly becomes a lot eas- ier to manipulate, as is the case when, for example, the squirrel drops in listing three. Before attempting to program this bit, it’s necessary to determine how the routine would work.
First of all, the variable Safe would be used to check if the sprite should fall. This is an easy way of checking whether the sprite is standing ona zone or has collided with another sprite.
We've already worked out what happens when the sprite moves into a pre-deter- mined zone, but what goes on when, say, it reaches a plat- form that’s moving up and down?
Give up? Don't give yourself too many headaches thinking about it. It’s a lot easier than you think.
All you have to do is move the squirrel up by two pixels.
This matches the upward motion of the platform, so as the platform rises, so does the squirrel.
When the platform reaches the top of its swing and starts to move downward, the squirrel will stop making con- tact with it and start to fall at the same speed as the plat- form drops. This gives the impression that the squirrel is standing on the platform all the time. To illustrate this, try this listing.
5 REM LISTING 5
10 Mode O:Flash Off
20 X=100:Y=10
30 Sprite 1,X,Y,n (n is the number of your squirrel sprite)
40 Sprite 2,x,200,n1 (n1 is the number of your platform sprite)
50 Move Y 2, “(2,- 2,40)(2,2,40)L”
60 Move On 2
70 REM Loop
80 if collide (1,2,2)=2 then y=y-2
90 if collide (1,2,2)=0 then y=y+2
100 Sprite 1,x,y,n
110 goto 70
NEXT MONTH
Next month we're going to pull everything into shape and cre ate a level you can run around on. Then we'll add one or two hazards to the game before we start to put in the finishing touches, such as end game screens, high score tables, music and such like in the final part in the tutorial. If you have any suggestions for the Super Squirrel game, or are having any difficulties with what we've covered so far, then drop us a line at the usual address.
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° Still onl £3. =a 0 per disk
CUBASE A PROBLEM ?....
You need MIDI guru Geoffrey Ryle’s
OFFICIAL CUBASE HANDBOOK
* Helpful hints, tips and secrets * Tutorials and step-by-step instructions ¢ Written in the USA
Eastleigh, Hants. SO5 3QP. Tel: 0703 260485.
“Pus
Kosmos are specialist
producers of Educational SUBJECTS Software designed tg help
you enjoy learning from your computer. Versions are available for most popular home & business computers. Many of our programs even allow you
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Enter ST Review's great music competition to win a MIDI system worth
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Live with OnStage; full review starts on page 110.
MIDI Monthly sets a pace for musicians which no other ST magazine can follow. In glorious colour, here are 10 pages of prod- ucts, reviews, buyer’s guides and all manner of useful information, along with a competition to win over £800 worth of Roland MIDI equipment and Microdeal sequencing programs.
None of the skimpy half-page critiques here; a full-blown review of Microdeal’s Concerto, the best budget sequencer for a long time, starts on page 106 and includes a comprehensive buyer’s guide... For those of you who have the desire to use your ST for live performance, the review of Hands On’s OnStage, commencing on page 110, gives you a clear indication of how this performs... Interested in those little hard- ware add-ons? Three MIDI utilities are looked at on page 109.
What do you need to get involved in MIDI? A good question, and one that we start to answer on page 114 where the first part of Building a MIDI System takes off. Every month, MIDI Points will examine one of those often-used but little under- stood areas; this month, it’s MIDI Files. Finally, Modest MIDI is the jargon-buster where all of those terms you keep hearing get explained.
This month’s competition is an absolute corker! Have a look at pages 118 and 119, solve the questions and send in your answers to have a chance of winning a complete MIDI system, including key- board, sound module, powered loudspeaker unit and a sequencer - every- thing you need except for an ST!
Need an answer to your MIDI problems? Just drop a line to me, Vic Lennard, at MIDI Monthly. In the meantime, enjoy the read and get to work on the competition. .
ance
icrodeal, along with Vi AVR, is chiefly responsi-
ble for cheap sampling devices for the ST, and is proba- bly best-known for Replay and Stereo Master.
Although Concerto is its first step into MIDI sequencing, the company has had past experience of a sort with Quartet, a sequencer which played back sound samples.
VALUE FOR MONEY
From the moment that Concerto appears on screen, it is clear that the budget price is going to be misleading. The layout is busy without being too cluttered, and a quick look around the menus and edit screens gives the feeling that the manual is likely to remain in near-perfect condition.
The main screen is loosely divid- ed into three sections: the main area to the left contains the 100 patterns which can be used to make up a song, the right-hand area gives the titles and MIDI channels for the 24 tracks per pat- tern and the bottom of the screen has the transport controls. Also situated here are certain com- monly used functions, including the tempo, for changing the speed of playback, tape timer, which shows the elapsed time of a song and the counter, which gives the number of bars played into a pattern.
There are two main ways of building up a song, both of which use patterns. These let you build
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Can Microdeal continue the success of previous budget products as they move into the sequencer market? Vic Lennard makes music with Concerto
up each part of a song; intro, verse, chorus and so on. A num- ber of bars is set from the Create Pattern option in the Edit menu and the pattern named. Using the right-hand Track List, the details of instrument and MIDI channel are set for the first track which is then recorded using a MIDI keyboard.
This will probably be
either piano, for basic chords, or drums, for the underlying rhythm. All tracks for a particular pat- tern, or part of a song can be recorded in this way.
This process is fine if you write your songs from start to finish - but what if you feel like writing the chorus first? Concerto has an Arrange mode where all of the patterns are displayed; from here you can place the patterns in any order that you wish. This includes using patterns more than once within a song.
EDITING YOUR WORK Sequencers stand or fall by the way in which they allow you to correct mistakes. Most budget sequencers are limited in this respect; a low price-tag usually infers a lack of facilities, but this isn't the case with Concerto. Microdeal has used a novel way to access the various editors. Just below the usual menu bar is what appears to be a series of card titles; the left-hand card selects the Main screen by a single click, and all other screens are selected in a similar way. Even better, you
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Concerto’s Main st screen showing the Pattern and Track Lists. All recording takes place here.
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The Event Editor lists each individual MIDI event and allows you to alter any portion of it — great if you like the numerical side of MIDI information.
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The Arranger allows any pattern to be inserted into a song wherever you like, so if you like to record patterns and move them around, this is for you.
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PROS AND CONS
Slow conversion between MIDI Files and Concerto songs
~~
NAME: CONCERTO COMPANY: MICRODEAL CONTACT: 0726 68020
PRICE: £39.95 RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW MIN MEMORY : 0.5 MB
EASE OF USE DOCUMENTATION EFFECTIVENESS VALUE FOR MONEY
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Drum sounds often have to be altered when a song is recorded using one synth and played back on another. Drum Operations gives you a dedicated editor for this task.
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Changing between synths can make tracks on Concerto play the wrong sounds. The Convert Synth box lets you transform sounds from one synth to another.
can press the F1 to F9 function keys on the ST to achieve this.
SCORING ALL THE WAY
It's very rare to see a Score Editor on a budget sequencer, but Con- certo has one. This shows the notation for a single track on a tre- ble and bass clef arrangement and operates in one of four modes: Insert and Delete allow you to carry out basic alterations to notes by using a simple point and click process, while Block lets you drag out a region on-screen and use the various’ Block
cut/copy/paste functions to move or delete sections of the score. In Info mode, a click on any note brings up a box giving all informa- tion for that note including pitch, length and velocity, the latter of which can't be ascertained from the actual notation.
Score Editors aren’t usually renowned for the way that they interact with the MIDI informa- tion. For instance, a pause sign on the score is usually there to be printed out, not to affect the play- back. Concerto, however, makes a real attempt to translate some of
the more common musical sym- bols into MIDI information. Pause halts playback for a set period of time while Stac(cato) changes the lengths of notes. Even C-Lab Notator, which retails at £550, has no such facility
There are certain functions which can be input onto a score more easily than onto other edit- ing screens. Tempo changes are set by a simple click of the mouse as are patch changes for selecting different instruments for the part being edited.
Two other functions continue to put more expensive programs to shame. Songs can smoothly speed up or slow down by setting a range and the tempo change which occurs in that range; a sim- ilar facility is available for fluidly altering the volumes of a series of notes to great dynamic effect.
The smallest note length that the Score Editor will handle is a 32nd, and there is no print out facility - but this is hardly a seri- ous criticism, given the low price.
GETTING THE RHYTHM
Anyone who has worked with a drum machine that has a graphic display will appreciate the visual elements of Concerto. Drums are listed vertically to the left-hand side of a grid with bar numbers to the top and vertical lines showing the division of beats.
Concerto's Drum Editor works in a similar way. Each listed drum has an associated note value and number and although you can’t change these on-screen, it is pos- sible to alter the drum mapping from the Drum List in the Synth Assigner.
Recording drums from this screen is simple. Set the left and right locators, put Concerto into Cycle, click on Insert and hit Play. The screen loops around the bars in the locators and notes are entered by clicking in the relevant boxes on-screen in a manner very similar to a program called MiDiDrummer. You can Zoom In and Out and change the velocity, and hence the volume, of drums notes. The same four modes exist as for the Score Editor, allowing you to Insert and Delete notes, alter a Block of notes or change various aspects of _ individual notes using the Info function.
IN STEP WITH GRIDS AND EVENTS The Grid Editor is likely to be the main choice by _ non-notation users. This works in a piano-roll manner with a vertical keyboard and notes which look like flags; the pole shows the start of the note while the rectangle repre- sents the length. With the same Edit modes as for the Score and Drum editors, it takes no time to get into this screen.
If working with numbers is your
THE TRIANGLE AND COWBELL SYNDROME
When a percussion track is recorded, each different drum sound uses the MIDI note which coincides with that sound on the drum machine or synth.
If a different sound module is used, the MIDI note for the bass drum may now be assigned to a triangle while the note for the snare drum could be allotted to a cowbell. The ensuing cacophony would hardly be termed as being musical!
Concerto gets around this by using o dedicated Drum Operations box which allows you to convert MIDI note numbers so that you end up with the sounds that you originally intended. The velocity, which usually equates to the loudness, of certain drums can be changed in either the cur- rent pattern, all patterns or between the current set of bar numbers. Convert Synth carries out a similar exercise on synth sounds; these features are very useful and well implemented in Concerto.
107
BUYERS GUIDE
What's the best in budget sequencing software? Min Mem | Event |Graphic|Score |Score {Song {Drum |MIDIFile | MIDIFile |Sample
Name Price rks Screen | (MB) Editor |Editor | Editor | Print lenge Editor | Read ‘ite Playback | From Contact Concerto £39.95 (24 s 0.5 1S |o oS 6 |9 1S |o o © Microdeal 0726 68020 Cubase Lite a9 (16 Mt Tie le he vy jo |e | Harman 0753 576911 EditTrack Gold = £99.95 (60 /C/M 1 ee ee eS: | ae a a | eal ‘Atlantic Audio 071-272 8944 Mipistudio Junior |#2999 |20 [om os jo yy yy yy Wy aa Ladbroke 0552 637988 MiDiStudio Master £99.99 |20 CM 1 o | ae ae an CP Ladbroke 0532 637988 Pro24vs.0 = |/, 24 ‘om (irene ate er; Teer 6 lo {soe (081-309 1111 Sequencer One £19.95 32 | 0.5 / °o. / / o. 6 ° I) ° Gajits 061-236 2515 TigerCub = 89924 CM hy je je jo I y jo jo [tone vist. 071-738 544a Trackman Il eee COM jes It lO ee ie lo | ‘Hollis Research |0481 728286 * Free with the Music Master Pack
forte, you will relish the Event your synths, Concerto allows you as a pitch bend wheel or modula- EXTRA PROGRAMS
List, where each MIDI event is shown in numerical detail. The Step Editor creates a part on- screen from scratch; set the note value, click on the keyboard and the note appears on the stave.
MIXING YOUR INSTRUMENTS Rather than expecting you to remember which number corre- sponds to which instrument in
to name them in the Synth Assigner. The Instrument List is intended for use with a single, multi-timbral synth which is fair enough for a basic MIDI set-up. The Drum List fulfils a similar pur- pose for percussion instruments. The combined settings for the pair of these can be saved and reload- ed as needed.
Many budget MIDI keyboards lack performance functions such
CONVERT SYNTH
CONVERT
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DRUMS
With the Drum Editor, Concerto can be programmed in the same way as a drum
machine with a display.
DRUM OPERATIONS
TRANSPOSE DIRECTION
Quieter
OPERATION
Replace
The Score Editor, a rarity in a program at this price. By using the Block Edit Made,
changes can be made to a group of notes.
tion lever and even expensive ones don’t have the necessary array of controls to alter the likes of volume or stereo pan position. The Mixer gives you an on-screen slider which is used to introduce and alter any performance infor- mation, which includes tempo changes and swapping instru- ments. As this can take place while Concerto is running, any such changes can be recorded and played back. The power of this should not be underestimat- ed; effects such as fades in and out and movement of sounds between left and right channels in stereo become simple.
WHAT'S ON THE MENU?
With so many editing screens, the menus might have been packed with functions making Concerto unwieldy to use, but this is not the case. With only six menu options, most of the functions can be learnt in an afternoon.
File holds the various Save and Load alternatives, along with For- mat Disk and New Folder options - many budget programs forget these. Edit includes the usual Quantise and Transpose func- tions along with Fill for “filling” a track with the same length note, which is useful for dance hihat patterns, and Drum Operations, practically a program on its own for drum note manipulation. Dis- play deals with all on-screen elements from selecting the clef for the Score Editor to setting the drum and grid accuracy while MIDI handles filtering and the set- tings for other MIDI functions, including a System Exclusive librarian for saving and loading a synth’s memory. Tape includes various playback and record func- tions, including Record Quantise which adjusts timing as you record, just like a drum machine.
Sample Studio is an extra program provided for STE and TT users which can put together a set of samples for use with Concerto. Depending on the memory avail- able, samples in either .AVR or .SPL format can be loaded in and assigned to MIDI notes, saved as a set and loaded into Concerto as a synth set. While only one sam- ple can be played at any one time, Sample Studio is an interesting extra, but will really need at least one Megabyte of memory.
Although Concerto doesn’t have a menu option for loading and saving MIDI Files (these allow you to move song files between differ- ent sequencing programs), there is € separate program for convert- ing back and forth between MIDI Files and Concerto song files.
The only drawback is the lack of speed for this process; a 13-track MIDI File took over eight minutes to convert to Concerto format; a 14-track song in the other direc- tion, complete with numerous tempo changes, took over fifteen minutes.
FINAL COMMENT
It is difficult not to be impressed with Concerto. The facilities that it has to offer are beyond those on some programs which cost £200.
There are a couple of minor gripes. While practically all menu options have keyboard equiva- lents, you have to continuously refer to the manual as there is no on-screen help menu. There could also be more information on how the Undo function works; this appears to be very limited and the manual is rather brief in its expla- nation.
These complaints aside, though, Concerto is an excellent purchase and will suit many musicians, without allowing them to quickly outgrow their investment.
PARTNERS
EYE & | PRODUCTIONS (UK) @ £9.99 @ 0793 873888 IN BRIEF: You've probably found yourself once or twice in the posi- tion where you’ve loaded your sequencer, set a song to play and nothing has happened. Tracking down the culprit in the system is often awkward because you can’t see whether MIDI information is being transmitted from the ST. Voice Crystal from the USA has a solution. The MIDI Crystal is a small (around seven centimetres long) through connector which can be placed in-line with any
MIDI Out. It shows an indication of which type of MIDI signal is passing
through; different MIDI messages often pass different amounts of data down the MIDI cable.
For instance, a System Exclusive
message gives a bright light as MIDI data is being transmitted quickly, while MIDI Clock leads to a dim glow due to a slower trans- fer rate.
The MIDI Crystal draws less than four milliwatts of power from a MIDI Out, so it has no effect on the normal running of the MIDI system. While it would certainly be cheaper for you to build a simi- lar device, the MIDI Crystal has the advantages of being small, com- pact and bullet-proof to use.
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “Inter- esting trouble-shooting product. A little expensive, but possibly
MODEMMIDI
MIDI Utilities
The ST may have built-in MIDI sockets, but there’s always room to be found for those little extras
INTONATION @ £30 @ 071-624 6194
IN BRIEF: In their infinite wisdom, Atari designed the MIDI Out socket as a non-standard version. A proper MIDI Out socket only uses pins 2, 4 and
5; the ST's MIDI Out has pins 1 and 3 con-
nected as a MIDI Thru. Hence if a MIDI cable connected to the MIDI Out has a blob of sol-
der across pins 1 and 4, and pins 3 and 5, a permanent MIDI Thru occurs, causing havoc
in a MIDI system.
UK-based Intonation launched its MIDI Split- ter at the recent MIDI Music Show. This lead has a single MIDI connector at one end, which plugs into the ST’s MIDI Out, and separate MIDI Out and MIDI Thru con- nectors at the other end. The quality of manufacture is high - metal plug and sockets, decent cable strain reliefs and good quality cable.
Incorrect MIDI leads will no longer cause problems. Also, you can run your MIDI system via the MIDI Thru port without having your sequencer booted up on the ST; you might be using your ST for a different purpose and simply wish to play a few notes on a master keyboard and hear the result.
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “Expensive; you could make your own for a fraction of the price. However it is well made and likely to solve any
problems caused by the non-standard ST MIDI Out socket.” oo6
INSTAG
rin
Do you find that using an ST and monitor live is a risky business? Then OnSTAGE may
be just what you've been waiting for...
ore and more musicians are using their ST to pro- vide backing music for
live performances, but while the computer itself is reasonably robust, the monitor is cer- tainly delicate.
Apart from the obvi- ous problem posed by transporting a fragile TV screen to and from gigs, monitors also tend to be affected by strong electrical fields such as those from stage lighting. This will invariably make the picture tremor, which in turn renders the screen unusable.
The other problem that is usual- ly posed by working with a sequencing program live is the hassle entailed in continuously having to use menus to select functions. All that is really neces- Sary is a system which allows you to select songs via the ST's key- board, and that is where OnSTAGE comes in.
THE LIVE SYSTEM
OnSTAGE is a MIDI File Playback (MFP) program designed for live performances, which uses a small plastic box (display unit) with coloured indicators to show what is happening at any time, rather than a monitor or TV.
Also included is an Edit pro- gram. This uses MIDI Files so that you can create your songs on your ST sequencer, save them as MIDI Files and then load them into OnSTAGE.
Because performances often run in “sets”, the Edit program lets
you load up to 32 songs and place them in any order that you wish.
CREATING SETS The main screen for OnSTAGE Edit is quite sparse. On the left-hand side is the Track List which shows details for each track of the current song, including _ track name, MIDI channel and pro- gram change, which is used for selecting the sounds on MIDI synths. In the centre are the four banks, each with eight slots, where loaded songs are placed, and on the right-hand side are the
>
PROS AND CONS
2
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The main screen - various songs yaar into the one banks. Information for the tracks of Madonna’s “Vogue” is currently being looked at.
five standard transport controls of Play, Rewind, Fast-Forward, Pause and Stop.
There is a set of information boxes at the bottom of the page: these give the current song posi- tion in terms of time and bars/beats, time signature, tempo and a pair of indicators show whether MIDI data is currently being received or transmitted.
Having previously saved songs in MIDI File format, a double-click on a bank slot brings up the file selector from which a song can be selected. A swift click on Play and
. nothing; the song has to be transferred to the Track List before it can be inspected or played; this is achieved by drag- ging it from the slot and dropping it in the Track List.
At this point, each track of the song has the MIDI channel assignment that it was originally saved with. A double-click on a particular track leads to the Track Form box where the MIDI channel can be altered and a program change set.
This is useful if the song is going to be used with a different MIDI synth from the one that the song was created on. Other edits are also available; for instance, Initial Volume allows you to set the lev- els of different tracks in a song so that they are balanced against each other, while Velocity Adjust can be used to change the sound character of a track because a note’s velocity is often used to alter the tone between mellow and bright. There is also the
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LIVING PROOF
Was there life before OnSTAGE?
Musicians have been using sequencers live for years. However, OnSTAGE has two main advantages over previous meth- ods. First, if your main sequencer is $T-based you could use the ST live but run the risk of getting your monitor damaged — they're certainly not intended to be “road-worthy” — or of having the picture interfered with by stray electrical fields. Second, you could use a hardware sequencer which is a stand-alone box and so robust enough to tolerate being used live. The disadvan- tage here is that you would have to transfer all of your songs from your ST sequencer, which is very time-consuming as few sequencers of this nature can read MIDI Files and those that do will cost more thon an ST, a bud- get sequencer and OnSTAGE put together.
Few hardware sequencers will have sufficient memory to have 32 songs loaded simultaneously and will generally not have the continuous playback and load- while-play features of OnSTAGE.
|-| + 8.6 [+] 127.8 bpm
A closer look at the Song Details of the current song. The size, in Kilobytes, and the number of tracks are shown; a song can be deleted or replaced from here.
option to mute, or turn off, a track. While such facilities don't allow you to edit individual notes or MIDI events, they are welcome in that they allow you to ensure that songs on playback carry sim- ilar qualities.
A click on the Play button, or pressing the Enter key, now plays back the current song and lets you check that what you hear is what you want. This is repeated for each song that you want to include within your set; if you mistakenly load the wrong song, double-click on the name (which leads to the Song Detail box) and delete it.
Dragging songs around between bank slots allows you to place them in any specific order - there is even the option to swap songs in two slots.
Once you are happy with the positions, you can save the set as 1.SET, 2.SET and so on; the num- ber indicates which of the ST’s “E" keys will load that particular set once the MFP part of OnSTAGE is used.
TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY The OnSTAGE Edit program takes up more memory than the MIDI File Player which means that you can fit more songs into RAM when using the live performance set-up. However, you can't have all of these songs loaded into memory at the same time when putting the set together.
Happily, there is a solution to this problem, which is to create the set without loading the MIDI song data. This simply means that you can’t audition the songs; this is what Fast Set, found in the File menu, does. As many songs as required are continuously load- ed from the file selector and appear with their names greyed out in the bank slots.
A similar problem can occur if you load in a completed, or par- tially-completed, set. If Autoload, from the Options menu, is left unticked, MIDI song data for a set will not be loaded into memory. Both of these choices are purely for the positioning of songs in
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Certain elements for individual tracks can be altered from the Track Details box,
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The OnSTAGE MFP Screen which is only used until you are familiar with the numeric keypad control on the ST. The songs in the various slots are listed along with infor- mation such as the tempo, bar counter and free memory.
slots; no individual track editing is possible.
One other useful function is Set Overlay. If you load a set of songs, any current songs are automati- cally deleted, but if Set Overlay is selected, the only songs which are erased are those whose slot is needed for the set being loaded. In this way, you can build sets using just one of the four banks and easily move songs around.
This is also useful when you are using an ST with one Megabyte or more of memory because songs from multiple disks can be loaded into memory.
With live work, it is essential to keep a good atmosphere going once one has been created. This usually means non-stop music, which OnSTAGE provides using the Autoplay feature which
‘
including the initial volume and program for selecting the correct sound.
a bank to the next at the end of a song. You can even change banks while the music is playing —- this lets you play all songs in a set without having to stop, if you so desire.
REMOTE CONTROL
There are various reasons why you may not be near your ST on stage, the main one being space. OnSTAGE has a facility for assign- ing keyboard notes to. the principal features such as the five transport controls and songs one to eight in bank A.
As you are playing live, the chances are that you will be play- ing a keyboard, drum pads, guitar synth or some other MIDI con- troller and will want to play the same synth that OnSTAGE is using. For this purpose, there’s a MIDI merge feature; any MIDI information received at the MIDI In port is mixed with the song data being transmitted by OnSTAGE.
If your live equipment includes a drum machine, OnSTAGE also transmits the necessary MIDI! information (MIDI Clock, Start, Continue and Stop) to ensure that the rhythm element keeps in time with the rest of the band!
ON STAGE WITH ONSTAGE
So much for the putting together
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NAME: ONSTAGE
COMPANY: HANDS ON MIDI SOFTWARE LTD
CONTACT: 0705 221162
PRICE: £99.95 RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW MIN MEMORY : 0.5 MB
EASE OF USE DOCUMENTATION EFFECTIVENESS VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
of a set - how does OnSTAGE actually operate live? The OnSTAGE display unit connects to the ST's printer port; any concern over whether this is working can be allayed by using a small pro- gram which sequentially lights up the red, amber and green indica- tors. A system disk has to be created, which contains the autoload program and a system file in a “Code” folder, and the various sets transferred to this disk along with the songs to be played. Boot up with this disk and OnSTAGE is ready to do what it was designed for - playing songs.
If a monitor is still connected at this point, the MFP screen will be seen, showing the banks, their allotted songs, the amount of free memory and so on. When you try out OnSTAGE for the first time, it’s worth having this as a reassur- ance.
However, the whole point of OnSTAGE is that it operates with- out the monitor! Banks A, B, C
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If a keyboard is connected to the ST's MIDI In, whatever you play can be combined with what OnSTAGE is playing by setting the MIDI channel for the relevant sound.
111
Hands On MIDI Software Ltd is one of the main creators of MIDI File backing tracks in the UK. Set up in 1989, they sup- plied song files for the Roland Tentrax sequencer and have also been utilised by Yamaha and Casio at various music shows and by the education departments of Commodore and Philips.
Other current products for the ST include a Roland Sound Canvas editor (£39.95) and a MIDI port expander called "16+" (£29.95). On the educational front, Hands On is supplying the Associated Board examinations for piano, violin, flute, clarinet and trumpet on MID! File for grades one to five. Forthcoming will be a visual editor for Yama- ha’s TG100 sound module (£39.95).
and D are selected by using “(", “\", “I and “*" respectively, while the keys “1 - 8” select the song in that numbered slot for the chosen bank and immediately set it into play. “O"” stops playback and mutes all current notes, while “.” pauses playback and leaves any current notes sounding. To con- tinue playing, “Enter” is pressed; Rewind and Fast-Forward oper- ate via the “<-" and “->” keys. The only other keys used are “+" and “-" which alter the speed, or tempo, of playback.
A major point is that banks of songs can be loaded while OnSTAGE is in use. This load- while-play facility is very powerful when used in conjunction with the Set Overlay feature; you can
start playing a song, load a differ- ent bank of songs, move to that bank and be ready to play a new song without interrupting any of your playback.
How well does it work? As a measure of how good it really is, the creator, Mike Johns, has been using it as a performing musician for some time and it's easy to see why. Movement between songs is easy - all you need is a set list in front of you - and the display unit can be placed wherever you need it by using a printer extension cable.
FINAL COMMENT
OnSTAGE is a good idea which has been well implemented. The manual is excellent and includes various hints and tips for working with disk drives, taking your ST on the road, explanations of MIDI Files and soon.
The master disk also includes a selection of MIDI Song Files from Hands On MIDI Software Ltd, the distributors, whose songs are among the best in the land. The various titles shown in the screen shots are all included on the disk along with various others.
OnSTAGE has no competition, with the exception of stand-alone sequencers such as Roland's MC- 50. While this can load and playback MIDI Files, it has to use a separate piece of software and costs more than an ST and OnSTAGE put together.
With the upgrade to v1.1 adding compatibility with ModemMIDI (see page 112) and Hands On's own 16+, each of which give access to an extra 16 MIDI chan- nels, OnSTAGE is an essential item for any gigging musicians who want to use their ST live; buy and enjoy.
A File
\_ File
AL File
Options
Options
Options
HIDI
paprefoelra] _e_ |
NIDI
rt Last UE 2 A
| = 2.8 [| | 117.8 bpm |
There’s oftena menu option ona sequencer to allow you to save a song as a MIDI File; here’s a brief run- down of what a MIDI File is...
et’s say that you have L: sequencer program on
the ST and create a song. Unfortunately, you can’t play piano and so decide to take your song file on disk to a friend's house for the piano track to be added. He loads up his sequencer (which is different from yours), pops your disk into his drive, starts to load the file and... nothing. It won't load.
This scenario led to various soft- ware companies working together and creating the Stan- dard MIDI File Specification in 1987. While there were various teething problems at the begin- ning - for example, sequencers not recognising each others, or even their own, MIDI Files - near- ly all current sequencers will both read and write MIDI files.
There are three different types of MIDI File. Format O is for single tracks; this could be used when all that you have recorded is something like a piano accompa- niment part. Format 1 is used for multiple tracks; you would use
MODEST MIDI
Having problems with the language of MIDI? Our glos-
this if your song has lots of instruments like bass, brass, strings and so on. Format 2 is for
multiple patterns; hardly any sequencers have used this to date and so you can ignore it. How do you decide which for- mat to use? Generally you don’t; the sequencer decides automati- cally for you.
OUTSIDE HELP
Some programs use external pro- grams to convert between their song format and a MIDI File. The reason for this is to keep the size of the main program down and so allow it to still function on a 520 ST. This is the case with Concerto, which is reviewed on page 106 of this issue.
What can be saved in a MIDI File? Most of the functions sup- ported by sequencers, including things like time signatures from notation packages and variuos tempo changes.
Track names are also saved, but there are two ways of achieving
Acronym for the Musical Instrument Digital Interface, created by American and Japanese manufacturers in 1982.
MIDI Monthly
HATISA
| FILE?
this so sometimes you will find the track names have been either deleted or corrupted.
Most of the time, the intricacies of MIDI Files are invisible to the user, as they should be! Simply use the “Save as MIDI File” option and you end up with a .MID file written to your disk.
Can MIDI Files be
between _ different computers? Yes; as the disk format for STs and PCs is very similar, you can take disks from either computer and load MIDI Files into the other. Amiga, Mac and Archimedes computers can read PC and ST disks if the right software is used so movement between most
moved micro-computers is possible.
SOUND MODULE:
A synth without the keyboard. Usually has a small screen to see the name (or names if multi-timbral) of the sound(s) playing. A sound module may let you edit the character-
MULTI-TIMBRAL: istics of the sounds, or may simply be a sary should help you... Literally meaning “many sounds”, a multi- preset sound player.
timbral synth plays more than one sound by
responding to information on more than one STANDARD MIDI FILE:
_AFTERTOUCH: Extra pressure brought to bear on the key of a
MIDI channel. For example, piano might be on MIDI channel 1, bass on MIDI channel 2 and drums on MIDI channel 10,
More commonly known as a MIDI File, this allows you to create a song on one
keyboard after it has been initially played. Used to control certain MIDI effects such as
sequencer, save it and load it into a different sequencer. You can even move song files
modulation or pitchbend. Often referred to NOTES: between different computers. simply as “pressure”. In MIDI, all notes are numbered between O
and 127 which gives a total range of overten SYNTHESISER: CHANNEL: and a half octaves. A sound-creating machine, usually with a There are 16 MIDI channels, each of which keyboard. There are many different types of usually accomodates a different sound. For PITCH BEND: synthesised sounds, although many of the
instance, Piano may be on MIDI channel 1, bass on channel 2 and so on.
Literally bending the pitch of a note once it has been played. Most synths have a pitch bend wheel to allow you to control pitch bend
current models use sampled sounds.
VELOCITY:
CONTROLLERS: during a performance. A MIDI Note has a velocity which is a mea- MID! Controllers can alter the performance of sure of how fast your finger has pressed the a MIDI synth. For example, Modulation (Con- PROGRAM CHANGES: key on a keyboard — the faster you press, the
troller #1) can add a “warble” to sounds, Volume (#7) will affect the level of the sound and Sustain Pedal (#64) acts like the damper pedal on a piano. Each different Controller has
its own unique number. to a certain sound.
These are usually transmitted from a comput- er to a synth to select a specific sound. You could call this “sound change”; the ST sends a message to a sound module telling it to go
higher the velocity value. It's often used by synths to change a sound’s volume, but may also be used to change the tone; for instance, a high velocity could be used to make a piano sound brighter.
MIDI Monthly
of Concerto gives you an
idea of just how pow- erful a sequencer you can buy for only £40. The built-in MIDI sock- ets mean that you don't need to buy a separate MIDI interface as Amiga, PC or Mac owners would, so you save even more money. All you need to be able to create songs and hear the results is a keyboard which con- tains sounds (usually called a Synthesiser), or a separate key- board without sounds (commonly known as a Master Keyboard) and sound module.
Pressing a key on a MIDI key- board doesn’t send out sounds; it transmits instructions from its MIDI Out which give information about the key press. They are dis- patched down a MIDI cable as pulses, being sent from the MIDI Out and received at the MIDI In of a sound module or computer.
i n this issue, the review
sae E shows the
most basic set-up for a MIDI system; a syn- thesiser connected to an ST which will have a sequencer program loaded. Pressing a note sends the infor- mation about that note to the ST, allowing it to be recorded. When the sequencer plays back, the notes are transmitted from the ST‘s MIDI Out, received by the synth’s MIDI In and funneled through to the sound generators in the synth. Most sequencers have a “soft(ware)” Thru option so that you can continue to play the synth at the same time as it is being played by the computer sequencer; the keyboard informa- tion is mixed with the notes being played back. Unless the synth has a built-in amplifier and speakers, you'll need to connect the audio
WHAT'S A SEQUENCER?
In its most basic sense, a sequencer records MIDI data, along with
the time it received it, and then plays it back with fidelity. In practice,
sequencers are far more complex than this, offering graphics
editing Hitting
ates the length of the note
from the Note Off time
So is MIDI just a bunch of numbers? Yes
create any style of music, numbers well hidden from you
2ens and other features
by sub
and most synths
, Vartous
2y on a keyboard sends out a MIDI Note On; releasing that key then sends a MIDI Note Off and tt
yuencer subsequently sting the Note On time
but MIDI c and sequencers keep the
an be used to
outs to a hi-fi system or possibly use a pair of headphones if the synth has a socket for them.
There is a problem: if you've recorded a piano part on a sequencer and then playback, it plays that piano sound. But what if you want to record a string part? If you press the keys, you'll get the piano sound. The way around this is to use a multi-timbral synth. This can literally play “many sounds” at the same time , using different MIDI channels. Such a synth will usually have a Local Control Off mode where the internal sounds aren‘t played via the keyboard. By changing the current MIDI channel on the sequencer, sounds on any multi- timbral part can be played.
ADDING A SOUND MODULE
Most low-cost synths aren't multi-timbral, so how can you build up a MIDI system to play drums, bass and so on? The answer is to use a separate sound module; this is like taking the synth’s internal sounds and plac- ing them in a box. Figure 2 shows a typical set-up of this type. When the sequencer plays back, the MIDI information is transmitted from the ST’s MIDI Out and received by the synth’s MIDI In. The MIDI Thru is then used to Pass on an identical copy of this data to the sound module. By having the sounds in the synth and the sound module set to dif- ferent MIDI channels, the different parts can be played back.
An ST and a sequencing program: what else do you need for music?
You can add further sound mod- ules by connecting the MIDI Thru of one to the MIDI In of the next in a “daisy chain”. Be careful though; MIDI information tends to get corrupted after the third or fourth module leading to symp- toms like notes hanging on after they should have stopped.
Pressing a key on a piano uses linkages to move a hammer which hits a string, thus leading to the creation of a sound ina rather mechanical man- ner. Each key is independent, but this type of autonomy does not exist with MIDI; all MIDI information from a keyboard goes down the one MIDI cable connect- ed to the MIDI Out. A press of a key on a MIDI keyboard leads to the transmission of three pieces of information. The first of these is the fact that a MIDI Note On is happening along with which of the 16 MIDI chan- nels is being used. Second comes the note number; MIDI supports a 128 note range which more than encompasses the span of any MIDI keyboard ever built (a stan- dard piano has 88 keys). Finally, the velocity of the key press is transmitted. This number lies between 1 and 127; higher values often change a sound's tone to make it appear brighter.
“AAA
Figure 2: Using the synth’s MIDI Thru, further sound modules can be added to increase the number of sounds available to you.
ZYDEC TRACKBALL
First impressions are deceptive with this unit
The immediate impression is of a rather neat-looking unit, about Walkman size - 11cm by 16 cm. The left-hand side houses a fairly small ball while the micro-switch- es are positioned along the top edge. This switch placement makes it difficult to decide where to site the unit; as the cable also emerges from the rear, you can’t place it in front of the keyboard while the size and shape make it a little awkward to position at the side of the ST.
The ball is very light but of high resolution so a couple of finger rolls move the cursor from one side of the screen to the other. This is just as well, as the Zydec trackball is very susceptible to skating even under normal use- age, mainly due to its lack of weight. This insufficiency of mass means that the ball does not bear down effectively on the rollers thus causing the skating effect.
The three buttons act in a differ- ent way from either of the units. The left and right buttons act as per usual, but the middle one acts as a lock; hold down the left but- ton, click on the centre one and the left button is locked. For instance, say that you need to
nicely positioned Rollers easy to clean
PROS AND CONS
Cursor skates badly on- screen
Neat looking, but the Zydec trackball shows that looks aren't everything.
drag a file from one window to another. Hold with the left button, click on the middle one and drag anywhere you wish without hav- ing to touch either of the buttons. A similar effect is very useful when working with lines and curves in an art program. To unlock the file, simply click on the centre button again.
This unit is designed to be used by a right-handed person; the ball is rolled by the thumb and the but- tons are operated by the first, second and third fingers. Left- handed use is not possible.
Held in by a locking ring, the ball can be removed in two seconds flat and access to the rollers is very good.
“Nice feel but ball a little too light for accuracy”
NAME: ZYDECK TRACKBALL COMPANY: EVESHAM MICROS
CONTACT: 0386 765500
PRICE: £29.95 RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
SMOOTH ROLL SWITCH RESPONSE ACCURACY
EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
Times have certainly changed on the trackball front since the release of the original Atari Trak-Ball
The Atari Trak-Ball originated from the Atari 8-bit computer (the design dates back to 1983) and measures some 22cm by 13 cm - hardly small. It is no longer manufactured but can be picked up cheaply secondhand.
It only has two. switches which are situated 17cm apart. This makes it difficult to press down both buttons at the same time if an operation requires
The original trackball, the Atari Trak- Ball is slow, noisy and awkward to use.
such, and it’s absolutely impos- sible to then move the ball without using two hands which rather defeats the object.
The ball is large and heavy (about the same as the Marcus trackball) but very noisy. The resolution is also very low - it takes upwards of four rolls to motor across the screen — but there is no skating with this one. Without the use of a mouse accelerator, the Atari Trak-Ball is probably unuseable.
The switches are also very unresponsive making it very heavy going when you have to double-click a lot and you can pretty well forget about cleaning the rollers; the four screws which hold the shell together are underneath the rubber feet.
Alfa Data TRK-MT-A Price £29.95 Resolution (dots 162 per inch) Tracking Speed 1100 (mm/sec)
Use of third button Left + lock
Cable length(m) 14
GUIDE
Marconi Marcus Zydek £49 £29.95 150 (approx) 200 unknown 350 Extra right Lock button
1 2
115
- Vic Lennard rolls the best trackballs : through their paces in our in-depth look at an under-used piece of hardware...
11
Ss soon as you unpack an ST from its box, you are pre-
sented with a device that is specifically designed to keep your fingers away from the keyboard - the mouse. There is little doubt that the mouse has influenced the way in which we work; most people select options from menus rather than committing a whole host of keyboard commands to memory. Moreover, it would be practically impossible to use an icon-based system such as GEM without a mouse or some other similar pointing device.
A similar device? Is there one? Yes - the trackball. This is essen- tially an upside-down mouse; instead of rolling the ball on a sur- face, it gets rolled by your fingers. The ball is in contact with two rollers, which handle the two basic directions of motion, and a third roller to stabilise the ball. As with a mouse, the buttons are on the top of the unit.
There are many advantages in substituting a trackball for your mouse. For a start, because you don’t need to move it around in the same way as you do a mouse, it takes up less space.
As a trackball is finger-operated, your hand usually rests just behind the unit and remains stat-
ALFA DATA TKB-MT-A
The best of the bunch can be interchanged between ST and Amiga computers
Measuring some 14cm by 11cm, the Alfa-Data TKB-MT-A is small enough to fit in the gap you usual- ly leave at the right-hand side of the ST for disk drive access. The top face is curved downwards towards your hand with the grey ball at the top of the slope. You need to leave a small space behind it for the palm of your hand to rest on, but the switches
ic; using a mouse requires a fair amount of wrist and arm movement which can lead to aches after hours of repetitive use.
ACCURACY
The main benefit of working with a trackball is the accuracy that you achieve. Any program that requires you to draw lines, curves or generally move with precision across the screen will yield better results if you use a trackball - and that includes most art, desktop publishing and music programs.
Trackballs also tend to require less maintenance than mice as no surface-borne dirt is transferred to the rollers via the ball. That said, however, the rollers still need to be accessible so that they can be cleaned when the trackball starts to feel rough.
So what are the disadvantages? All trackballs suffer from “skat- ing”; if you roll the ball too hard, the cursor either moves in the opposite direction or appears to remain static for a moment before suddenly shooting off in the direc- tion of the rolling ball. How susceptible a trackball is to this is down to the tracking speed which is sometimes given as part of the specifications.
Fortunately, most _ trackballs have a high resolution; one roll of
are well positioned for normal use. These are part of the casing with one either side and the third next to your palm. The unit is interchangeable between ST and Amiga computers via a rear flick switch, and a_ slightly more expensive version has an illumi- nated trackball which lights up in green and red depending on which switch is being pressed.
The ball is quite large and smooth in use; you can cover the width of the screen in just over one roll. Skating is certainly evi- dent here, but the resolution is high enough for you not to need to move the ball very fast.
SWITCHES
The switches are very good; high
the ball or so and the cursor moves the width of the screen.
Cost is relatively high; a good trackball now costs about the same as a good mouse used to, but this has to be balanced
quality micro- switches similar to those used on a good mouse. Mini- mal movement is required to operate it and it gives a dis- tinct “click” when pushed. The right and left switches operate as you would expect, but the bottom switch functions as a latching left switch. This means that you no longer need to continuously The Alfa Data TKB-MT-
Ais available with a ball that lights up.
against the fact that trackballs last longer. I've been working with the same unit for the last two and a half years; how many of you can attest to that with a mouse?
ON THE RIG
hold down the left switch when you are drawing a straight line or a curve; you simply click on the bottom switch, move as you need to and then click on the left switch to disengage. With games, this useful facility can be used as an auto-fire option.
There is no way of reversing the right and left switches, so if you're left-handed and want to use the trackball the other way round, you'll need to get hold of a freeware program from Double Click Software, called DC Lefty, which automatically swaps the right and left buttons.
Access to the ball for cleaning purposes is annoyingly awkward; five screws have to be removed, two of which are hiding under- neath rubber feet. Having said that, it does come with a two-year guarantee, so the manufacturers obviously have faith in the longevity of the unit.
NAME: ALFA DATA TKB-MT-A
COMPANY: GASTEINER CONTACT: 081 365 1151
PRICE: £29.95 RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW MIN MEMORY : N/A
SMOOTH ROLL
SWITCH RESPONSE ACCURACY oooo6 EASE OF USE ooogosS VALUEFOR MONEY SOO 06
OVERALL 9 1 %
> NX
ooooo SOo000
PROS AND CONS
Rollers awkward to clean
‘A smooth but noisy trackball from Marconi
The Marcus Trackerball measures 20 cm by 12 cm and has a slope resulting in the back edge being 7cm high. This means that Mar- cus lines up nicely on the right-hand side of the ST and appears to be an extension of it. The bottom 10cm is designed for you to rest the palm of your hand on with the ball nicely placed for finger or thumb movement and the three switches in easy reach.
ROLLING ON
The ball is large, reasonably smooth to roll, but noisy. Howev- er, it rolls freely due to its weight
catching it with your fingers when the cursor gets to the required position. The feel is reas- suring and accurate, and it is difficult to get it to skate under normal conditions.
Marconi has implemented the buttons quite cleverly - and they are buttons, not micro-switches, which means that they are heavy duty and have to be pressed firm- ly. The centre, oval-shaped, button acts as the left button of a mouse while the two _ outer, round-shaped, buttons each take the place of their right-hand namesake. Consequently Marcus can be used right or left-handed with equal ease.
Marconi states that “regular cleaning is not required”, but it is
“Built to last and accurate to use”
NAME: MARCONI MARCUS TRACKERBALL
COMPANY: GEC
CONTACT: 0522 510500
SMOOTH ROLL
SWITCH RESPONSE ACCURACY Sooas EASE OF USE SoooGo VALUEFOR MONEY SO 966
OVERALL 8 35 %
The Marconi Marcus is a chunky track- ball which will certainly stand the test of time.
ooocoe ooceeo
dubious as to what this means; any device that is in a dusty envi- ronment or has a sweaty hand using it is bound to need cleaning from time to time!
The ball is not removeable with- out disassembly via four cross-head screws, a _ process which is fairly easy to carry out. This is certainly a professionally- made trackball whose failure rate would be very low.
A
PROS AND CONS
117
WIN A COMPLETE MIDI KLEE.
Making music with your ST doesn’t have to be either difficult or expensive. On page 106 we've just reviewed one of the best low-priced sequencers we've ever seen — Concerto from Microdeal got an ST Review award because of the amount of high-end functions available for only £39.95. And to use MIDI effectively, there can’t be a better entry point than Roland’s PC 200 GS Master Keyboard - especially when it comes with a Roland CM 300 Sound Module and a Roland CS 10 integrated amplifier and mini speaker system. All this classic kit is worth over £700, but it can be yours for free in this easy-to-enter competition.
The Roland PC 200 GS
Master Keyboard. A full-size, four octave keyboard from the best man- ufacturers in the world!
IDI Monthly is the newest section to be added to ST Review. And
within its pages, it gives ST owners a chance to keep up to date with one of the ST’s great- est strengths — MIDI. And in recognition of the fact that ST Review is the first magazine to cover MIDI properly, Roland (UK) Ltd. have donated the MIDI hardware on this page to the lucky winner of this month’s MIDI Monthly competition.
COMPETITION RULES
The closing date for this competition is 14th August. Any entries arriving after that date will be ineligible for entry. This competition is not open to any employees of EMAP images, Roland (UK) Ltd or Microdeal,
THE PRIZES
The lucky prize winner will
receive:
@ A stunning, Roland PC 200 GS Master Keyboard
@ A Roland CM 300 multi timbral sound mod- ule which holds 317 unique, sampled sounds. @ A Roland CS 10 amplifier with built-in minia-
ture speakers
@ A copy of Concerto - Microdeal’s amazing ST
Review award-winning, music sequencer
and the editor's decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
A ROLAND MASTER KEYBOARD AND ALL YOU NEED TOMAKE fitna MUSIC WITH YOURSTAREUP feeservexe FOR GRABS.
THE WINNER TAKES | IT ALL!
' All you have to do to enter the competition is to answer the following questions,.
& Which Swedish group, who are the subject of Erasure’s latest album, had a hit with a song called Win- ner Takes It AIP? 2] How many keys are there on a Roland PC 200 Mkil? o What musical hardware do you use with your ST?
4] How many hours do you spend each week on ST music?
5 ] How do you rate ST Review's MIDI Monthly section (out of 10)?
Answers:
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Put your replies on the coupon (or a photocopy), and send it to; ST REVIEW, MIDI MONTHLY COMPETITION, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU to arrive here before 14th August. The heart of any master keyboard is its sound module and Roland’s CM 300 has a hearty 317 sampled sounds on offer. ; SSS a a
With various different choices available, which screen accelerator is the one for you? Ofir Gal examines
the options ...
{|| XA1070A
T owners tend to become S very defensive whenever the names PC or Mac are men- tioned, fiercely defending their choice of home computer. However, when no-one else is listening, a fair few of us are high- ly likely to quietly admit that some screen operations are painfully slow, text scrolling and various graphic routines in particular. The reason for this lies within TOS, the ST's operating system, which performs all screen operations, disk access and many other tasks. All STE, Mega ST and later STFM models are equipped with a Blitter chip
4
which is specifically designed to
speed up screen operations such as text display. STs which have the Blitter installed show a marked improvement in display speed, especially with scrolling text and graphics. The Blitter can be easily switched on and off from the desktop which is particularly useful as some programs, and many games, are not Blitter-com- patible and are inclined to crash. Although the Blitter considerably improves the situation, the bene- fits are restricted by the inherent failings of TOS, which was writ- ten in C.
While this is an efficient and fast computer language, it cannot match the speed that can be achieved from a program written in machine code. This prompted several ingenious programmers to rewrite all of the screen handling routines of TOS in assembler instead of C. The difference that
this makes is quite astounding with some _ screen. operations being speeded up by a factor in excess of 10.
The only drawback is that screen accelerators can’t usually be used with games software because most games use their own graphics routines which bypass TOS altogether.
QUICK ST 3
Quick ST 2 has been available as Shareware for some time and has become a favourite with many ST users owing to its low price and regular updates.
As Quick ST 2 has suffered from incompatibility with many prod- ucts, it has now been replaced by Quick ST 3 (currently version 3.05) which offers improved perfor- mance and better compatibility but is now available as a commer- cial product.
Quick ST 3 is an auto-loading program, which means it has to be placed in the auto folder of the boot disk. Several versions of the program are provided on disk to suit most needs, including com- patibility with large monitors, although the program called Quick STE may cause a degree of confu- sion as the “E” stands _ for “enhanced” and has nothing to do with the Atari STE.
Also featured on this disk are MonSTer, a \arge screen emulator, Quick Index, which can measure the performance of an ST, QST Off and QST On which temporarily switch Quick ST off and on, and a customising desk accessory.
This allows the desktop back- ground pattern and system fonts
|
to be changed as well as some additional mouse control features.
The manual provided is on 12 AS pages and covers all the fea- tures of Quick ST and the additional utilities.
WARP 9
Darek Mihocka, Quick ST has moved on to MicroSoft where he is busy devel- oping the Gemulator, an ST
the creator of
The VDI Text bar chart gives an indication of how word processors benefit from hav- ing the various accelerators installed. As you can see, Turbo ST is ahead by a
margin.
emulator for the PC. CodeHead Technologies have since taken over Quick ST and have improved its compatibility. Many new fea- tures have been added and the product has been renamed Warp 9 (currently version 3.6).
Likewise, the manual has been completely re-written and it is now a hefty 45 pages long. Warp 9, like Quick ST, is placed in the auto-folder and is supplied with a control accessory enabling Warp 9 to be turned on and off as well as allowing for alternative system fonts and desktop background pictures.
There are a large number of fonts supplied on the disk. Other useful features are the excellent shareware programs Pinhead 2.1, which speeds up the loading times of most programs, and Lit- tle Green Selector 1.8, which is a replacement file selector. Warp 9 also includes a user-configurable
Circles/Ellipses Raster operations Attribute functions: Inquire functions ESCAPES
BIOS output
GEMDOS output
AES object draw
cree
Reference:
mouse accelerator and other mouse enhancing features.
TURBO ST 1.84
Turbo ST is yet another American product, and it is one that many ST users have opted for because of its high speed and compatibili- ty with most programs.
Six versions of Turbo ST are sup- plied on _ disk; monochrome, colour and large screen versions, each as an auto program and a desk accessory.
The accessory versions of Turbo ST can be switched on and off at any time and the disk includes a text file, the function of which is to allow programmers to control Turbo ST from inside their pro- grams.
Unlike the other products cov- ered, no additional features are offered and the 23-page manual concentrates rather heavily on statistics showing the perfor-
v 1.02
UDI Text:
GEM Dialog Box: ; ]
UDI graphics:
Software Accelerators
mance of Turbo ST under different circumstances.
NVDI 2.03
NVDI from Bela, a German compa- ny, is quite a different creature. Unlike other screen accelerators, it replaces many TOS functions including the terribly slow GDOS (soon to be replaced by Atari with FSMGDOS). Similar to Warp 9 and Quick ST, it allows the loading of alternative screen fonts and comes with a desk accessory and a customising program. The desk accessory is also supplied as a .CPX extension for use with the new Atari TT Control Panel. NVD/ must be installed as an auto pro- gram and includes a mouse accelerator which can be switched off using the customis- ing utilities. An installation program is provided which will install NVDI on the boot disk and, if needed, will also create a GDOS
ASSIGN.SYS file. The 16-page manual covers all features: and includes technical details for pro- grammers. GEM Test is also included which, like Quick Index, allows you to test the perfor- mance of WVDI.
CARRYING OUT TESTS
Using the test programs that manufacturers supply, it is possi- ble to assess the performance of a screen accelerator. Test results can, however, be misleading as the outcomes obtained depend on which screen function is being tested and whether that function is used by your main programs. For example, Warp 9 does very lit- tle to speed up the display of outlined text while NVD/ performs this task with great haste. How- ever, outlined text is rarely used and this applies to many other functions that test programs eval- uate. The only function that most
Quick index 2.2
The ST/STe/TT Performance Index
by Ignac Kolenko and Darek Mihocks
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Your system performance:
CPU shifts OMA 64K read GEMDOS files Disk (RPM)
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279%
The NVDI Gem Test examines various obscure functions as well as some more of the obvious ones.
500
A custom set of tests which aim to show performance under typical working conditions.
Quick Index mainly tests TOS functions which are rarely used in GEM programs.
KINGS
800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100
300
200
100
Blitter Quick _Blitter
Chip
Turbo Quick Mega
Chip —STE/NVDI
Warp 9 Warp9 Turbo
All tests taken into account, the Overall Performance graph gives results weighted towards the more useful test functions. For raw speed, Turbo ST comes out on top - but compare it with the Mega STE column on the far right, which contains a Blitter.
The VDI Graphics bar chart reflects the performance of the software accelerators with the on-screen drawing of various shapes. Turbo ST heads the group again, although the ST’s Blitter chip shows a significant gain.
121
The Warp 9 control box lets you set-up your mouse to do fancy tricks.
What's the difference between Auto programs and Desk Accessories?
Auto programs must be placed in the Auto folder on the boot disk — and are automatically loaded at boot-up. There is no limit on the number of auto programs although the order in which they are load-
ed can sometimes be important as can the memory that they require. Auto programs are usually inaccessible; they simply load and remain
resident in the background.
While desk accessories are programs which are also loaded at boot- i up, access to any settings is usually available from other programs via the Desk menu, The Atari Control Panel is an example of a desk
accessory; this allows the user to configure certain elements of the system such as the speed of mouse click, screen colours and the sys- tem time. A maximum of six desk accessories can be present.
GEM programs share is the dia- logue box, and all four accelerators scored well in this department, but not all dialogue boxes are the same and NVDI per- forms slightly better on those that incorporate icons and graphics. The results of the various tests are so conflicting that an indepen- dent benchmark (test) program has been written to test the most common screen operations, namely: standard VDI (Virtual Device Interface) text as used by programs like First Word Plus, the drawing of rectangles and circles as used by art packages and a complex dialogue box incorporat- ing text, icons and a fill pattern.
TEST RESULTS The screen accelerators were tested using three different
benchmarking programs; the bar charts show how they performed in comparison with Atari's own Blitter chip.
Turbo ST is certainly better at displaying text but not as efficient with dialogue box drawing. MVDI and Turbo ST are much faster than Warp 9 and Quick ST when it
comes to displaying graphics - this may be important if you use art packages. NVDI and Turbo ST make use of the Blitter chip to fur- ther increase performance although this is not reflected in the graphs. In fact, Warp 9 and Quick ST show a striking similarity in performance which is not sur- prising as Warp 9 is basically a later and more compatible version of the latter.
The Blitter chip is generally not as effective as the software accel- erators except where graphics are concerned where it comes into its own.
Also of interest is the much improved performance of the Blit- ter-equipped Mega STE running at 16 MHz and “super-charged” with NVDI. It is possible to modify standard, 8 MHz STs to run at 16 MHz and above (which will speed up non-screen operations) by using accelerator cards such as ADSpeed or Turbo 20/20.
Another option is to replace TOS with alternative operating sys- tems such as EOS or KAOS, which will again improve many TOS functions.
The dialogue box is used to turn Turbo ST on or off.
COMPATIBILITY
All four programs perform well and an important factor when deciding which one to buy is its compatibility with your principal applications. No program of this nature is going to be compatible with all applications - in fact, there are text files provided with Warp 9 and NVDI which list all known incompatibilities with these programs.
Because of its nature, Calligra- pher is a good example for a compatibility test - Quick ST and Turbo ST cause immediate crashes but Warp 9 works fine, a testa- ment to the fact that this has been extensively upgraded.
Of particular interest is the way that the various programs use the Blitter chip. Turbo ST and NVDI are significantly improved while no difference is made to the working of either Warp 9 or Quick ST. Quick ST becomes rather slow if many desk accessories are in use and tests on the new Mega STE show that Turbo ST does not always install itself properly on boot-up,
CONCLUSION
If cost is no object, MVDI is the obvious choice, offering a very reliable and user-configurable system. Although slightly slower than Turbo ST in some routines, it offers better compatibility with other programs and extra features such as a full replacement for GDOS, a mouse accelerator and a sharper system font. NVD/I has some extra functions and the manual contains useful informa- tion; it shows a high performance in all screen functions.
Taking price into consideration, Quick ST is on its own. However, while its performance is good, there have been a fair number of incompatibility reports and nei- ther graphics nor desktop display are improved to any great extent. Bearing in mind the situation with Warp 9, it is also unclear whether Quick ST will be further updated and supported in the future.
BENCHMARKS
Benchmarking programs can be useful
when trying to assess the effectiveness
of operation-enhancing hardware and
software.
All benchmarks work by simply repeating selected operations and measuring the time a computer takes to perform these operations. The results are then compared with the performance of a standard ST. Using benchmarks can sometimes produce misleading results; Quick Index, for example, measures functions such as TOS string dis- play, which is rarely used, and does not test for functions such as bold or italic text. GEM Test, on the other hand tests the display of double-sized and outlined text, functions which are similarly rarely used Normally, benchmarks cannot test menu drawing and desktop
operations.
Desk File Edit Layout View Style Format Text Object Global Untitled <
Welcome to the blistering blues where we show you how to really get to grips with your ST. There are 32 pulsating pages, all of which are packed with information, tests, tips and in-depth tutorials to put you out in front in terms of getting the most from your machine.
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True multitasking on the sT may be sone way off but the use of desk accessories goes some way towards compensating for it.§
This month, we continue our series on Powering Up Your ST. Part three looks at alternative file selectors that give you a chance to organise your files and move them quickly and easily.
On the subject of alternative programs, why not save yourself a few pounds with our look at Public Domain programs in PD Zone starting on page 128. This covers . screen grabbers and picture converters which will be a boon to anyone using graphics or who needs to import pictures into their Word Processor or DTP packages. Indeed, if DTP is your thing, then turn to page 138 to uncover our Timeworks 2 tutorial.
And still there’s more with the comms pages, readers’ letters, your technical questions answered with Ask the Experts, a chance to Learn the Lingo, and finally the opportunity to have your say in the Opinion page.
Sl TE: \PUBLISH\DTP\INVOICE. DTP
Lakeside Chandlery
You'll never wash away the blues...
FLEAIBLE
In the third part of our unique productivity series, Maurice Collins looks at Desk Accessories and how they can make life easier
® Desktop Info... Diamond Format Free RAM size Abbrey. ST Re-Sync Diamond Find
| It's the COPS!
Desk RDesktop Info...
Turbo ST Satellite MultiDesk Demo
DC RightCall vi.8 CALCULATOR
Dave's Formatter
Res Info...
The Chameleon™ OST Customizer... | DarkLord
| vclock Vi.4 About MegaSnap™ Harddisk
he GEM desktop is so easy T to use, with its point and click
approach, thatit’s very easy to overlook one of its most powerful features - the desk accessories (DAs). These are probably the most under-used element of the ST's working environment. So what are they? And how do they work?
Essentially, DAs are a special kind of program. Normal GEM or TOS programs are run by double clicking on them. They then carry out whatever task or tasks they are designed to do until you decide to quit. When you do, the memory they used is freed for use by the next program.
Unlike GEM or TOS programs, DAs can’t normally be loaded by double-clicking - instead, they have to be installed at boot time by the operating system.
The major advantage of this type of program is that, being memory resident, they are available at all times, even when you are running other programs or applications such as word processors, DTP or paint packages. When DAs are called, they are run from the ST's RAM and not loaded from disk, so they can be accessed very quickly. This offers an element of multi- tasking: it enables users to switch almost instantly from an applica- tion such as a word processor to, say, a calculator accessory, carry out a quick calculation, and then switch back again.
TASKS
There are hundreds of different DAs available, particularly in the public domain, and the list of tasks that they can carry out is virtually endless. The most common use of a DA is to provide a function that wouldn't normally be available from within a program.
For example, you may want to format some disks for storage while you are running your music sequencer or sampler, or keep an eye on free RAM while you are in the middle of writing or testing a program. There are specific DAs that let you carry out these tasks without having to quit the program and then reload.
Some programs, such as Didot Lineart, can be installed as DAs, offering exciting multitasking possibilities when running alongside DTP programs or word processors.
There are also some accessories available that can perform system modifications - such as accelerating mouse move- ments or speeding up the screen display. The advantage over AUTO folder programs is that they can be switched on and off at will.
INSTALLING DAS
To load a desk accessory, it must be in the root directory (not in a folder) of the boot disk when the ST is switched on or reset. It must also have an .ACC extender so that it is recognised as an accessory by the operating system.
When the ST boots, the operat- ing system looks for a folder named AUTO, and it then executes all the programs inside this folder, in the order in which they were placed inside. Next, the operating system looks for any programs with an .ACC extender and loads them into memory, placing their names in the free accessory slots.
DAs are always selected in the same way: you move the mouse pointer to the GEM menu bar and place it over the menu on the extreme left. On the GEM desktop this left-hand menu is called “Desk”, but in many programs it is simply the Atari logo, the sign of the Fuji. All the available DAs will be listed in the drop-down menu. To load, click the left mouse button and the chosen accessory will run.
If there are more than six acces- sories in the root directory, however, only the first six will be loaded. This is a limitation of the ST’s operating system and the only way to solve it is by using specially written software, such as the PD utility DC STUFFER or the commer- cial program, MultiDesk.
The main headache when using DAs is, of course, memory. One of the benefits of upgrading to two or four Megabytes of RAM is that you can install the accessories, what- ever their size, without running out of memory. With one Megabyte of
program has an .ACC extender, it doesn’t mean it will
run as att accessory
Accessories are programmed in a slightly different way to normal GEM programs although some have associ- ated resource (.RSC) files just as many GEM programs do. All-GEM programs, including accessories, are initialised via the AES call, “APPL_INIT” (AES, Application Environment Services, is part of GEM). In the case of a DA, however, it then installs itself in the accessory slot by pass- ing its name to the operating system by means of the “MENU_REGISTER” call. It is then assigned a unique ID number and enters a continu- ous loop waiting to be called by an “AC_OPEN” call from the AES
Some programs, however, have been written in a way that allows them to have either .PRG or .ACC exten- sions and to work as programs or desk accessories Examples include Fastcopy lil and Fastcopy Pro, MultiDesk, Maxifile and Didot Lineart. The advantage of this is that if memory is tight it may not be possible to keep a program in the accessory slot all the time - it is far better to run it asa program from the desktop
when it is needed
RAM, it is quite possible to install a good range of smaller acces- sories and_ still run most applications, but with a 520 ST/STE, you will undoubtedly have to be careful.
When looking at memory require- ments, itis important to realise that an accessory's physical size is not the same as the amount of RAM it uses. Many accessories. will reserve their own buffer areas or set aside extra space for data. The popular screen grabbing utility, SNAPSHOT.ACC, for example, takes up only seven Kilobytes of disk space but well over 40 Kilobytes in memory. A good rule of thumb is to add 50 per cent again, plus 32 Kilobytes if the accessory has anything to do with screenshots or graphics.
USING DAS
Many accessories such as mouse accelerators are either on or off, a state which can be readily altered from the “Desk” menu. However, turning an accessory “off” does not remove it from memory. To free the RAM, the ST has to be rebooted without the accessory present. The easiest way to disable an accessory is to rename it by alter- ing the extension to anything except .ACC. The most common alternative is .ACX, the traditional extender of a disabled accessory.
DAs can be used in any properly written GEM program, with a menu bar along the top. However, some programs such as Signum Il refuse to allow the user access to accessories (they are “greyed out” in the menu). This is due to a lack of memory - the application itself has stolen all free RAM and there is none left for other programs. This can be a little annoying when you've got a four Megabyte machine and your word processor reserves over three Megabytes of memory!
Other programs, such as Protext, make it awkward because they're not true GEM programs. This is due to the need to improve on GEM for faster text scrolling and so on. Still, inconvenient access is better than no access at all.
You won’‘t be able to use DAs with programs with .TOS and .TTP
FRIENDS
extenders. These are non-GEM programs which bypass the GEM part of the operating system entirely. Happily, very few major applications are of this type.
Compatibility can be another problem when using , DAs. Regardless of how stable an acces- sory might appear, when it is installed alongside others it might well prove incompatible.
There are hundreds of combina- tions of accessories and programs that don’t work. They are impossi- ble to document as the various TOS versions play a part in it too. Music programs such as sequencers are notoriously difficult to get on with, but there are often clashes when accessories do similar jobs or affect the same parts of the ST’s operating system.
On the plus side, however, there are several utilities to help you get the best from your accessories. In the first article in the series, we
looked at programs such as XBoot a
and Superboot which let you choose which DAs to load at boot time. If you use several different sets of accessories for different purposes, utilities such as these are indispensable.
If you like things tidy, there is also an AUTO folder program called ACC.FOLD.PRG which lets you keep all your accessories in a folder called ACCS instead of cluttering up the root directory.
how useful Desk Access are, just take a look at the main disk on this month's cover Which features four great desk accessories for you
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Desk Accessories
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MultiDesk Deluxe MaxiFile
Six DAs installed in the GEM desktop. The same six will still be available if you now run a word processor or other GEM program.
Desk File Edit Layout View Style Format Text Object Global Untitled
CALCULATOR
(0 ee Word Window = ae 5 C(Li2 tt: 28 BB: 8 EB: 8 Wednesday OCT 8 rue multitasking on the ST may be sone way off but the use 4 sof desk accessories goes sone way towards compensating for it.
Two DAs in use alongside Pagestream — the nearest yet to multi- tasking.
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That's Write has no built-in thesaurus, but installing one as a desk accessory certainly improves matters.
125
So what are the best accessories available? Here’s what we think...
@ MULTIDESK
There are several methods of get- ting around the ST's restriction on the number of permitted DAs. The most well-known is MultiDesk, the tried and tested accessory loader from Codehead. It is itself an acces- sory which takes up one of the six GEM slots and lets you load up to 32 more DAs, memory permitting. These extra accessories are called up from within MultiDesk. |t is fully configurable and setups can be saved for later use, making it much easier to load different sets of DAs for different purposes.
The Deluxe version will even let you load and unload non-resident accessories known as MDXs even when running major applications, something you could never do before. It will also support up to 96 DAs at once although more are possible by installing MultiDesk inside itself several times.
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© CHAMELEON
The other answer to the problem of having to reboot your system every time you need to change or load more accessories is a tiny PD accessory called Chameleon. |t “reserves” an accessory slot for programs which you can then fill or empty as required. It won‘t work from within all applications, but it is a very worthwhile piece of soft- ware that frees you from the need to reboot when you want to change accessories. Once acces- sories are loaded, they can easily be discarded and the only sign that Chameleon is at work is the right- pointing arrow in the desk
© coNnTROL PANEL
The ST's control panel accessory is a PD program given away with
every ST. There are quite a few alternatives around, but the origi- nal Atari version is still widely used and deservedly so. It enables you to control everything from the colour of the desktop to the speed at which double clicks are regis- tered, not to mention the RS232 and printer port parameters. All parameters can be saved in a DESKTOP.INF file from the desk- top. The date and time can also be set from the control panel.
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semi-graphical menu which makes copying, moving and gen- eral file management very much easier, but it also offers disk for- matting and copying (including full MS-DOS compatibility), search facilities and disk information. One of the best features is the level of configurability - there are no less than 15 options for warning dia- logues and a fully configurable printer driver.
© RAT TRAP
Mac users will be familiar with this one. Rat Trap is a small PD utility which dates back to the earliest days of the ST when converts from the Maccouldn’t stand the way the menus would drop down when- ever the mouse strayed outside the GEM window. With Rat Trap installed, it takes a click on the menu bar to activate a menu. It still has its uses, particularly in art and DTP packages, where dropping menus can get in the way, espe- cially when you need to draw lines or objects very close to the menu bar. It can be turned on (half) or off
as required but selecting “full” is decidedly dodgy - you can’t access the menus at all!
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© CALCULAT
We all need to do simple calcula- tions now and again, whether it’s working out how much will be left in the bank account or converting pounds into pesetas in preparation for the annual migration to warmer climes. There are several around, but my favourite is CALCULAT: it combines simplicity with a clear display and as an accessory, it’s always there whether I'm desktop publishing, writing a letter or doing my accounts. It can carry out most day to day tasks as well as storing numbers, and its small size enables it to be positioned almost anywhere on the desktop.
@ FASTCOPY
As copiers go, both Fastcopy Jil and Fastcopy Pro are fast, flexible and easy to use. Fastcopy Ill is available from all good PD libraries, but if you want to go one better, Fastcopy Pro takes some beating. Both versions can be run as accessories or pro- grams, depending on the situation or the amount of RAM available. The Pro version features limited hard disk back-up and support for high density drives, as well as mouse acceleration and a number of fully configurable options.
© ART GALLERY
If you're into art and graphics, the chances are that you have a large collection of clip art, quite possibly in Degas, NEO or Tiny format. It can be tedious trying to remember which one contains that little sym- bol you know is there somewhere. With an accessory like Art Gallery (another one from Codehead) you
can view your graphics files from within DTP, art or even word pro-
cessing applications. Art Gallery
can also be run from the desktop as € program or installed as an appli- cation for viewing graphics files.
sents
ART GALLERY
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Which type of picture?
© newworp
Another interesting PD accessory is Newword, a fully-fledged word pro- cessor that can be called up at any time. You could be doing your accounts and realise that you need to write a quick letter to your bank manager —a quick click on Newword is all it takes. It comes with online help and some extensive docu- mentation.
It has full text word wrap and plenty of file management and edit- ing commands. It will print to standard Epson compatible or ASC]! printers and is well worth investigating for those whose need for word crunching is limited to the odd letter.
Desk File E4it Set op Trees a Incone and expeaditore grape f Eapesdi tere
ment, from disk formatting to communications. The new version, Harlekin 2, is even better, with more built-in utilities and features than virtually any other single piece of software. It also takes up less mem- ory than the original, useful for those of you with less than one Megabyte of RAM.
It is largely icon-driven, in keep- ing with the ST's’ graphical
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with the NEW ST INPUT/OUTPUT PORT £26.95
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ou design allows the Port to be plugged into the ST Parallel Port & Joystick Port hence low price.
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KIT TWO Photo Sensor Circuit. Adjustable threshold. Ideal as optical sensor for robot £19.9 THREE Mains controller Module. Mains appliances just plug in. UK only Handles 15amps.£25.95 BUGGY KIT. Amazing new uct. Requires Kit 1 + 2 double pole play relay jodules (14.70 each). No soldering required. Assembled in 20 mins. Powered by 2 slow speed eversersable gearbox motors. 5 metres of umbilical cable. £39.90
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“Hf you are a serious camcorder user you must buy this program" ST. Format. 92% Rating ATARI ST Review
* ART MASTER ST/STe_ £29.95
Superb new art package for the ST 3D GRAPHICS ADVANCED BLOCK MANIPULATION, DISTORTION & MORE. NEO, DEGAS, AMIGA IFF COMPATIBLE, 9 WORKSCREENS, 4096 COLOURS, RAY, GRADIENT, 3D CONES, SPHERES, SHAPES & IT’S USER FRIENDLY Complete with colour print driver. Best ART Package for the ST. "...top favourite.." & "The most spectacular effects can be created.." MICRO Computer Mart VIDEO TITLER & ART MASTER Combined price £54.95
* PRINT MASTER ST/STe £19.95 ULTIMATE COLOUR DRIVER FOR COLOUR & MONO PRINTERS.
PRODUCE COLOUR ON A MONOCHROME PRINTER. FULL COLOUR SHADING SUPPORTS MOST PRINTERS, TRI-COLOUR AND PROFESSIONAL COLOUR SEPARATION, LABEL ROUTINES, SUPPORTS EPSON, CANON BUBBLEJET, STAR, CITIZEN, 9/24PIN, HP DESKJET, IBM, NEC ETC.
SUPERB FULL COLOUR SCREEN DUMPS MADE EASY.
*
WE HAVE THE LOWEST EVER PRICES 520 STe Start Pack £245 520 STE 1/2MEG £328-99 NOW £269.99 Discovery 2 pack 520 STE 1 MEG £369-89 NOW £289.99 Discovery 2 pack 10 Star games pack £20 extra (only when ordered with STE). 1040STE FAMILY CURRICULM £399-89 Now 339.99 RING FOR LATEST PRICES Prices include Carriage. £5 extra for next day delivery.
ACCESS & VISA WELCOME, SWITCH NOW AVAILABLE LASER DISTRIBUTION LTD, Dept. sR |__ VISA PO BOX 1, CALLINGTON PL17 7YZ @ 0579 82426 t
ST BUYER
GOODMAN ENTERPRISES
@® DISK NO: GD1425® £2.75 @ MEMORY 0.5MB @ SHAREWARE
IN BRIEF: Ozone is a platforms and ladders game in the tradi- tional mould. As usual with this type of game, you use the joystick to guide your character around the screen, bouncing from one platform to another,
the time
remaining,
before you
progress to the next
level. There are 13 levels in all and
each one is as captivating as the last.
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “Ozone is a delightful game with superb graphics and good sound.
whole — family.”
For the best in public domain software, look no further. . .
THE GURU
CALEDONIA PDL ® DISK NO: AU-0154 @ £2.50 ® MEMORY 0.5MB @® SHAREWARE
IN BRIEF: The Guru is a hypertext program - a cross-referenced, linked text system. You can read the current page, then move back and forth as you would with a book, although its greatest strength lies in its ability to cross link. Simply click the words in bold and you will be taken to the appropriate page to read the linked text. You may continue paging from there or return to the position where you made the link.
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “An excellent program which can be put to a number of uses. It would be invaluable for educational use if someone
You can either dodge the nas- ties or shoot them - the choice is yours, but it’s important to remember that you're playing
were to write tutorials or revision aids using it.”
oooso
agains > clock. e Guru is a sinple yet powerful HyperText desk accessory for the ST. pasmst the clock Ie ides you with easily accessible Nnternation anytine from the GEN You can pick up and use objects, environment.
pull levers and go through doors
leading to other parts of the level Your aim is to reach the exit door before your time runs out. Assuming that you manage to achieve this, you are awarded with a bonus which is based on
ESCAPADE
NEW AGE PDL ®@ DISK NO: BUGAM 102 ® £2.95 @ 0.5MB @ LICENCEWARE
IN BRIEF: Escapade is set in the sec- ond medieval age, in the far distant future. The latest form of torture involves iraprisonment at the top of a tower which has two doors. The unlocked one leads directly to hell and the other is locked by an elec- tronic puzzle device.
You are the latest victim of this torture, and you must decipher the puzzle to open the door. You are given no food or water, so solving the puzzle is a matter of life or death! What is beyond the door, no- one knows. This one’s a real mind boggler if ever | saw one!
1 of oO ow o™%
Guru is an ACC % pease which can be ia eck accessed from fecttetor "R" te load a new Eee, file or 'H' for information about
within any GEM
This denonstration contains information on the following: based program. 1. “flare about The Sure aod Hoo! lesSeft
Ozone is an addictive platforms and ladders romp, featuring good graphics aud
sound. documents. &
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “This is the most original game to appear in a long time. You get plenty of back- ground on the plot but are given no hints as to how you begin to tackle
the puzzle.” ooo
128
ARTHUR OF THE BRITONS
GOODMAN ENTER- PRISES ® DISK NO: GD1485 @ MEMORY 1 MB @ SHAREWARE
Britons has much in common with Defender Of The Crown, but it still manages to be original. Make your way through four lands, conquering as you go, in an attempt to re-unite your kingdom. Use the mouse to move your army from castle to castle and village to village, shooting for food, fighting the enemy, trading with villagers, entering archery tournaments and so on. The game involves a good deal of strategic thinking and a lit- tle bit of skill.
lent and well
GAMES & UTILITIES
the menu to choose another sub- ject.
©
VIRUS UTILITIES @ GOOD- MAN ENTERPRISES ® DISK NO: GSD9 @ £2.75 @ MEM- ORY 0.5MB ®@ SHAREWARE
A collection of virus killing pro- grams which aré a must for everyone. The cream of the crop is George Woodside’s programs, VKiller and FLU, a harmless pro- gram which visually demonstrates the effects of the more common viruses. Also on disk are Neil Forsyth’s Hospital programs and a host of others
GRABBER ® FLOPPYSHOP ® DISK NO: UTL.3023 @ £2.50 @ MEMORY 1 MB
@ SHAREWARE
A clever little ACC which allows you to load and run upto four small TOS programs in a similar manner to TSRs on the PC. Simply follow
Although the sound effects are sparse, they are as good as the graphics. This one is a must for all the strategists amongst you. The only drawback is that it needs one Megabyte to run.”
Public Domain: Games And Utilities
HPCHROME
FLOPPYSHOP @ DISK NO:UTL.3224 @ 0.5MB @ SHAREWARE
£2.50 @ MEMORY
IN BRIEF: HPChrome is just what Deskjet owners have been crying Degas (PI1 or PC1) or Neochrome printed out in full colour on a Deskjet, Deskjet Plus, Deskjet 500C. A low-cost colour kit the latter t able
out for! It allows
ll! colour printing, but until now there was no software to drive it on the ST
HPChrome is fully controlled by the mouse researched to offer full support of the Desk s. It performs
separation on the earlier models and prompts you to change the ink
cartridge where appropriate. The whole process is handled automat-
ically on the Deskjet 50
ST REVIEW COMMENT: ° colour balance adjustment, three print qualities, cropping, shingling
hard to believe that HPChrome is really Shareware."
With features like aspect lock on re-sizing,
and depletion, it's
Oooo
ooo°8
STD CAT V5
GOODMAN ENTERPRISES
oa FA section Disk Path
File View Outpwt Misc STOCAT ¥5.0d
STD Cat isa flexible disk cata- loguing system. Each disk’s contents
®@ DISK NO: GD720 ® £2.75 @ MEMORY 0.5MB ® SHAREWARE.
IN BRIEF: STD Cat is an impressive disk cat- SG aloguing system which stores the directory } information from each disk in a database. ny These can be searched for file names, using wildcards if necessary, so that you can quickly locate which disk a file is on. File sizes, dates and indeed the entire directory structure are all on screen. In fact the options available on the latest version are countless: you can even store information from hard disk parti- tions and view data on screen in several ways, depending on your personal preferences. STD Cat is a
it fs _sstees
are displayed in four windows. This screen illustrates the “hierarchical” display.
fast, friendly application which saves a lot of time hunt- ing through disk boxes and hard drive partitions.
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “STD Cat has been around for four or five years. This latest version is a major re- write, but it maintains compatibility with the old file format.”
the instructions on disk and you'll be up and running in minutes,
@
DROP DOWN WORDS ® CALEDONIA PDL @ DISK NO: SES-8 @ £2.95 @ MEMORY 0,5MB ® LICENCE- WARE
A game for young children. Words ere dropped from above: type in the word before it hits the ground and watch the parachute open The words may be changed ‘to suit age and ability. A great aid to spelling and goad fun, too
6)
FRUIT PURSUIT @ RIVER- DENE PDL ®@ DISK NO: GAM 978 @ £2,50 @ MEMORY 0.5SMB @® SHAREWARE
Fruit Pursuit is a cross between a board game and a. one-armed ban-~- dit. Your aim is to go from one side of the board to the other; but this is not easy. Your moves are based on what happens with the slot
machine. A novel marriage of two popular concepts for one to four play- ers.
SUPERCARD V2.43 @ FLOP- PYSHOP ®@® DISK NO: UTL.396 @ £2.50 @ MEMORY 0.5MB @ SHAREWARE
This is a computerised card index system which was originally sold commercially for £30 but has recently been upgraded and re- released as Shareware. The program is lightning fast on searches and allows up to 78 char- acters per line and 16,000 lines per card! Not to be missed
o
TWOT TOT ®@ NEW AGE PDL @ DISK NO: BUGAM 97® £2.95 @ MEMORY 0.5MB ® LICENCEWARE
An impressive platforms and lad- ders game in which you must escape from the Mansion of Madness. Visit all 64 rooms, col- lecting objects as you go. You will have to solve countliéss puzzles, avoid various nasties and attempt
to befriend the insane creatures who dwell there. But can you escape?
a
JIGGERS @ RIVERDENE PDL @ DISK NO: GAM 977 @ £2.50 @ MEMORY 0.5MB ® SHARE- WARE
This is a real brain teaser, in which your aim is to turn all the pieces on the board to the same colour Assuming you accomplish this you proceed to the next level. The only problem is, as you change the colour of one piece, those adjoin- ing it also change!
19
NESS BENCHMARK v0.7 @ 16/32 PDL @ DISK NO UTIL 027 @ £2.00 ®@ MEMORY 0.5MB @ SHAREWARE
This is one of only two bench- marking programs for the ST, It performs various tests on your sys- tem and compares the results to those expected on a “standard” ST. As such, it is useful for show- ing the performance of accelerators in comparison with the performance of a “bare bones” model.
PICTURE THIS
Do you want to use your ST for graphics, but don’t want to spend a fortune on graphic utilities? No problem! The Public Domain should cater for all your needs. . .
ion screen ion clipboard ion
NNN WW
int tartup Screen userve
oala : MicroPainter
PPP POIZIHZZZATCzZ teéeeous NCCce mms CUB SAA Nemes OO SC ed pea pets pe _ wu pom pets pt ee
=)
= MOSABSIH VOM Uz: AVVO DD TNarozZOem- VO4DMNO NSse<eHo
The Picture Convert & Display Disk converts to and from a whole host of formats.
Desktop. Now run the program U LTISNAP which has the pictures you FLOPPYSHOP @ DISK NO: to grab: (resetting if nec ) UTL.3094 @ £2.50 seat? : re @MEMORY 0.5MB @ NOT dey swap back to STE @ PUBLIC DOMAIN Uktisnap disk and press IN BRIEF: U/tisnap is a Snapshot The program will find the
program itt a dif
n the required picture is dis-
in memory and allow you
ee to save it back to disk d of attaching itself to the ,
ard buffer and being acti-
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “It
sounds like a lot of ssle but it
ymbination, it
quite sir disks can have < : their graphics snapped.” machine. The prograr sill install % oooos itself in memory and exit to the
Thrax's Ultimate Screen Version 1.1
Degas file name?
Ultisnap prompts you for a filename if it finds a screen in its buffer when you run it.
Thrax's Ultimate Screen Saver!! Version -6 ® Martin Packer 1989 Install resident portion at: - 526ST physical top of memory
- Actual physical top of memory
allows some erratic programs to run.
PICTURE CONVERT & DISPLAY DISK
GOODMAN ENTERPRISES ® DISK NO: GD253 @ £2.75 @ MEMORY 0.5MB ®@ PUBLIC DOMAIN & SHAREWARE IN BRIEF: This is a disk full of picture conversion programs. Using sepa- * rate programs, you can convert to and from Degas, Neo, GIF, Colr, SPC, SPU, IFF, Koala, Print Master and Print Shop. It’s a pity that no-one has written a program to convert between all these formats, but this disk is the next best thing. Each program converts between two formats, but by using a combination of programs, you can convert to or from almost any of the above. For example, to convert from GIF to Degas, you would con- vert from GIF to SPC, SPC to SPU, then SPU to Degas. It sounds long-winded, but it’s invalu- able to graphic artists!
pet “Converts between most ST 7"
picture formats and a few wee EA eS foreign ones too. The disk | paietre (atau 1 tai —J
also includes viewer pro-
grams for most file types.” | Preview a a ooo6
/ the contents of the disk (or the . DISK specified sectors) are saved out asa file onto a blank disk. You can RABBER then use the Crack File option in & Crackart (see below) or use FLOPPYSHOP ®@ DISK NO: MONST if you know what youare UTL.335 @ £2.50 @ MEM- doing, to search for the graphics ORY 0.5MB ®@ PUBLIC you want. Disk Grabber does DOMAIN what it sets out to do, but it’s not IN BRIEF: This program is really suitable for the novice user designed to let you search whole disks for graphic and sounddata. ST REVIEW COMMENT: “This The programasks youtoenterthe Program is unique in the sense start and end sectors to grab and that it captures the entire con- loads these into memory. If you tents of a disk and saves them to have a 0.5MB machine, you will a file. It can even be used on boot need to grab a double-sided disk disks with moderate success.” : in two chunks. Once in memory, SOG
Free Memory available: 3974008 Press ESCAPE to quit, or any other key to start ripping !!
Start Sector (Logical): 20 gn Sector (Logical): ? 720 No. of sectors to grab: 726 Buffer required: 368648
Public Domain: Utilities
PICTURE HUNTER
L.A.P.D, @ DISK NO: U.42 @ £1.50+50P P&P @ MEMORY 0.5MB ® SHAREWARE
IN BRIEF: Picture Hunter requires a |jong-winded set-up procedure, but it's well documented. Assuming that you have completed the installation procedure, select the appropriate menu option. These allow you to load from the Desktop, from Auto or from boot. When the screen you want appears, press the reset button. Assuming all has gone well, you will see a rather corrupted looking screen. Now you can scroll through memory until you find what looks like your grabbed picture. Use the arrow keys to line it up on screen, swap over to your Picture Hunter disk and press Space. You are now given the option to save the picture to disk.
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “Picture Hunter is fiddly to set up and only runs in low resolution. However, it can capture pictures from boot disks and does run on the STE.”
66066 per track. It then attempts to find CR ACK ART any graphic data and associated GOODMAN ENTERPRISES célour palette. This function is oS . <= @ DISK NO: GD1524® not foolproof and can crash on PLE £2.75 @ MEMORY 1MB®@ boot disks. Regrettably. neither SHAREWARE pons is peeoetitae'! in ee fs IN BRIEF: Apart from being the FE ae PR iy eeronareey, eee best art package on the market at German. Gok eas fiddly ond. ae any price, Crack Art has two little- involve searching for the graphic : He “>; ‘eR Boot SECTOR and palette separately. : ad 4 a ah A 8 eieF A AAG A
known. options, Crack Disk and Crack Program. These allow you search through a program file or an entire disk for graphics. Crack File searches the specified file for picture and palette data. Crack Disk asks you to specify the num- ber of sides, tracks and sectors
DMJ GIF V2.0
WIZARD PD ® DISK NO: ART 19 @ £2.25 @ MEMORY 0.5MB ® SHARE- WARE
IN BRIEF: DMJ GIF is the best program available for scaling large GIF files down to low resolution Spectrum 512 format. It performs especially well with high resolution 640x400 pictures with 16 colours, cutting them down to 320x200 with 512 colours.
The program may appear to be slightly limited in that it only accepts one type of input and saves out in a single output format. However, taking these limitations to one side, there is nothing that can really match the incredible quality of the converted files, as you can see from the picture, that we converted below right. What's more, if you have an STE, the result- ing file is saved using the STE’s extended palette. Two small utilities allow non STE owners to view the saved STE file and STE owners to display it
in 3,375 colours. Apri}. 24,. i991
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “Two powerful features in a package designed for an entirely different purpose. They may be fiddly, but they're easier to use than Disk Grabber.” ‘
FET GEV TI.
Picture Hunter’s menu screen is easy to use, despite the long-winded installation procedure.
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “DMJ GIF provides you with a way of not only viewing GIF files, but of saving them in a popular ST graphic format with little loss of quality. In fact, some of the results are enough to rival some commercial products.”
oooo6
AL LIE INT CHARLIE
DM] GIF takes about 20 minutes to process a picture. However, the results, as you can see on the right, are well worth waiting for. DM] GIF resized this picture from 640x480 into a Spectrum 512 screenshot. It has since been converted to Degas format.
— SS
— oe /— 22
oan oe
we FA
DEGAS CONVERT V2.04 —
L.A.P.D. @ DISK NO: A12 @ £1.50 Tiny, DOO or PIC format
+ 50p P&P @ MEMORY 0.5MB @ olution) and conve
PUBLIC DOMAIN ,
IN BRIEF: Degas Convert has been
around for about five years, but the
latest version is a far cry from its
humble beginnings. Essentially
the program serves two purposes
to convert pictures into high-res ST REVIEW < patharan Seale ateges screens and to print them (on 9-pin Convert makes a be fFsome Epson and compatibles). Although n
the program runs in medium or
ST BUYER
high resolution, it only saves out ir Degas high res or IMG formats will take any picture in Degas, Neo
EA cay 4s
Above: Degas Couvert makes a better job of some screens than others and this one has come out exceptionally well.
Left: Degas Convert can bring joy or terror onto your screen, as you cau see here! The printout is even better (or worse!).
GEMVIEW V1.1 GEM-View File Others
FLOPPYSHOP @ DISK NO: ART.56 GEM—-View version i.1f (Oct 22. 19913 @ £2.50 @ MEMORY 0.5MB @ copyright by Dieter Fiebelkorn SHAREWARE
IN BRIEF: Gemview runs as a PRG, ACC or GTP, you simply rename it to suit. It allows a graphic to be loaded, viewed and saved from within a GEM window. Pictures larger than the screen size can be viewed using the scroll bars. Gemview loads Degas, Neo, IMG, GIF, SUN, PAC, IFF, BMP, RLE, GVW, GEM, ART, Tiny, DOO, SPU, SPC and XBM files. Files are saved back as mono IMG or colour X- Bitmap files. Gemview allows you to enlarge or reduce pictures by a specified percentage and displays any resolution of file on any moni- tor. The only failing is the restriction of colours to that available in the current resolution.
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “This program has evolved into a highly professional product over the past year. Itcan now load more file types
than any other program available.” 6oo06
Gemview displays the picture in a standard GEM window, allowing you to use the scroll bars to view the whole image.
1Z%9
VIEWGIF V1.2
WIZARD PD ® DISK NO: ART 04 @ £2.25 @ MEMORY 0.5MB ® SHAREWARE
IN BRIEF: ViewGif is undoubtedly the single most powerful graphic converter available.
It will accept input in GIF, IFF, LBM, MAC, Neo, Degas, FL and CP8 formats and saves in GIF, FL, Neo, Degas, AIM, CP8, SPU, MacPaint and Mac StartupScreen formats.
Pictures which are larger than the physical screen area of the ST
can be viewed by scrolling 60000 4K = =File Edit §iny elect Colour tions Ji.
(Previous routine} CUnder evaluations
Uality
selected the
Used when MODE 1s colour.
ViewGif is the best when it comes to reduc- ing large images. The colour options screen gives full user control over colour GIFs.
GAMES & UTILITIES
PICSWITCH ®@ Vo.7 ® GOODMAN ENTERPRISES ® DISK NO: GD253 @ £2.75 @ MEMORY 0.5MB @ SHARE- WARE
This was the first multi-format pic- ture converter on the ST. It handles conversion from Degas, Neo, Tiny, IFF, NVision, MacPaint, Mac StartupScreen, MicroPainter, Koala, GR8, GR9& and RLE and writes out in Degas or Neo format. It is also one of the best colour to mono converters available.
KEYSHOT ® WIZARD PD ® DISK NO: ART 19 @ £2.25 @ MEMORY 0.5MB @ PUBLIC DOMAIN
Keyshot is yet another ACC. It lies dormant until you press the ALT+HELP keys, then the screen flashes briefly. Select Keyshot from the menu and you are given the choice of saving the screen in
Frequently used colours
Equally spaced colours
miy wi
Some monitors cannot display the darkest colours. If are mot used.
through the image with the arrow keys and may be saved out in sections or re- scaled to fit the physical screen area and saved as a single file. MAC files save out with a true MacBinary header and can be transferred to the Apple Macintosh and used without adaptation.
ST REVIEW COMMENT: “Simply the best program for converting graphics between the ST, Amiga, PC and Macintosh. It's hard to see how anyone could possibly improve on this!”
Frequenc
oior ac
Degas or Neo format. Keyshot can also capture screens from within non-GEM programs.
5)
DEGAS SNAP @ WIZARD PD @ DISK NO: ART 19 @ £2.25 @ MEMORY 0.5MB ® PUB- LIC DOMAIN
Degas Snap is an ACC and will oper- ate from within any GEM-based program. When the graphic you require is on screen, simply go up to the menu bar and select Degas Snap. The screen will be saved in Degas format. It's as simple as that. It even lets you know if you have run out of disk space.
So
FREEZE ® FLOPPYSHOP ® DISK NO; UTL.06 @ £2,50 ® MEMORY 0.5MB @ PUBLIC DOMAIN
Freeze is almost identica! in opera- tion to Degas Snap. You select the ACC from the menu when, the graphic to be saved is being dis-
Select 1s blurry. be off. Used when MODE 1s gray or CPS image 15 loaded. CPS load always dispersed.
Public Domain: Utilities
SNAPSHOT
FLOPPYSHOP ®@ DISK NO: UTL.51 @ £2.50 @ MEMORY
0.5MB @® PUBLIC DOMAIN
IN BRIEF: Tt of picture gr Snapshot. Tt
suite of
Ordered Dot Dither (Fast but poor results} Dispersed Dot Dither
tSlow better results}
Apply Adjusted Grays
CIncrease Contrast}
Apply Uniform Grays
CUse if washed-out.)
3 1f dithered image
a IMG @ FLOP- PYSHOP ® DISK NO: ART.44 @ £2.50 1 MEMORY 0.5MB @ SHAREWARE
A simple program which takes Neo, Degas (compressed and uncompressed), Spectrum 512 and MacPaint files and converts them to black and white IMG files, as used by most Desktop Publishing packages. The program is fully GEM based and does pretty good mono conversions.
©
GRABBER ® FLOPPYSHOP ® DISK NO: UTL.23 @ £2.50 ® MEMORY 0.5MB @ PUBLIC DOMAIN
Grabber returns to the Desktop after installing itself and allows you to run another program, When the graphic you want to grab appeers onscreen, simply press ALT+HELP to save it as a Degas screen.
Consecutive screens are saved as
PICTURE1.PIT, PICTURE2,PI1 etc.
pelect Gray Scale Options) ype
Mhancesen
Should normally
3° 22 32° $2 $5
ARCHIVARIOUS ® CALEDO- NIA PDL ® DISK NO: AG-0068 @ £2.50 @ MEM- ORY 1 MB ® MONO ®@ SHAREWARE
An impressive program from Germany which operates as a pic- ture database. Most of the usual functions of a database are avail- able as well as the ability to load and display STAD files and convert these to Degas or Doodle formats. Numerous extras like the ability to zoom pictures to 200 per cent and 400 per cent, are also included.
©
SNAP @ FLOPPYSHOP ® DISK NO: UTL.241 @ £2.50 @ MEMORY 0.5MB @ PUBLIC DOMAIN
Snap is a very easy utility to use —- you simply run it before the pro- gram you want screenshots from. tt will install itself and return to the Desktop.
Press ALT and both SHIFT keys to save the current screen to disk in Degas format. Multiple screens are saved as SNAP A-PI1, SNAP _B.PI1 etc.
133
UT OUT ‘N’ KEEP ORDER COUPONS
If you want to buy any of the products reviewed in this month’s PD Zone, just fill in the relevant coupon and return it to the supplier, together with a cheque or postal order. A photocopy of the coupon is acceptable; please allow 28 days for delivery
PLEASE SEND ME THE DISK/S
Caledonia PDL, 250 Oldtown Road Hilton, Inverness, 1V2 4PT
OTHE GURU £2.50
PLEASE SEND ME THE DISK/S TICKED BELOW:-
FROM L.A.P.D., 80 Lee Lane, Langley, Heanor, Derbyshire, DE7 7HN
Cl PICTURE HUNTER £1.50 + 50P P&P
Cd DEGAS CONVERT V2.04 £1.50 + 50P P&P
PLEASE SEND ME THE DISK/S TICKED BELOW:-
FROM Floppyshop, PO Box 273 Aberdeen, AB9 8S)
GEMVIEW V1.1 £2.50 CIDISK GRABBER £2.50 CIULTISNAP £2.50 CJ HP CHROME £2.50 CISNAPSHOT £2.50
FROM New Age PDL, 30 Anderson Estate Lower Road, Hockley, Essex
QUESCAPADE COST £2.95
PLEASE SEND ME THE DISK/S TICKED BELOW:-
FROM
Goodman Enterprises, 16 Conrad
Close, Meir Hay Estate, Longton, Stoke On Trent, Staffs, ST3 1SW
(J CRACK ART £2.75 (J OZONE £2.75
(J ARTHUR OF THE BRITONS £2.75
(J STD CAT V5 £2.75 (J PICTURE DISPLAY & CONVERT £2.75
PLEASE SEND ME THE DISK/S TICKED BELOW:-
FROM Wizard PD, 178 Waverley Road Reading, Berks, RG3 2PZ
(J VIEWGIF V1.2 £2.50
(J DM) GIF v2.0 £2.50
WHAT MAKES WIZARD SPECIAL?
FAST SERVICE RELIABLE == =bOP QUALITY , use the best)
JUST & FEW EXA
7 Fi P 74 : . ART 07 Superb art pai, igéa for simple” -<48trpno DTP. 23 built in fonts#A4 sé vr woragto t Ast D
mono crome for best inf. Ideal for
ADV 01 DDST,
entures also on this disk. *
CMAN, superb pacman clone. MR now RD/ VAN-GOUGH Paint package other super pacman. SOCCER ith animated sprites. 4,.L.ANDSCAPE : ators including,GENASIS and a CAD
Great mae package formerly sold at
MTS 31 The See SEQUNCER rom H. COSH.
SIMON, computer ve DOMINOES, puzzle ga game. Also on this dis game, SENSORI BAC BRIDGIT, ST ARTREK, BA STARTREK
ARC14 HOME, and L'ORB 2 super pinball / sericea’ interviews and bi hies games, GALTIC RANGER, unusual shoot em from the’orginal STARTREK and N XP up. MONKIES & BALLONS, bounce the clown GENERATION plus loads of pictures from and burst the ballons. FIRESTORM, another both series. A must for all TREKKIES!!!, good arcade game rescue the humans. LAZERBAL, super game and intresting version ARC 04 TETRIS, superb tetris game (see on the pinball theme. Also on this disk LOST review in issue 1 of this mag). KLAX TRIX, TREASURE, WIDOW MAKER, SLALOM & WELTRIS &TETSIDE, 3 more good games BREAK OUT. on the tetris theme. MR DICE, COLLAPSE
& BURGER, 3 more good games to fill this
TARIUM simply the best PD super value disk.
WIZARD PD ssnovrorveriin 178, Waverley Rd, Reading , Berks, RG3 2PZ Tel: 0734 574685
gue send blank + S.A.E. OR 70p Paper or disk catalogue free with order on request Baas P.D Disks 1 OF 2eeecese£2.25 — 3-+.cooreeer£2.00 vee We also stock Budgie, POV and
( nicursnierr pp. ©
Public Domain Software, Shareware & Licenceware for the Atari ST/E Offically appointed distributors for SHOESTRING educational software.
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e’ve already explained the four types of conditions used in the program, but
to refresh your memory, they are:
LOW PRIORITY CONDITIONS These are executed after the user has typed in a command. They usually act on what the user has typed, such as picking up objects.
HIGH PRIORITY CONDITIONS
Executed before the user types anything, these are high level instructions that recognise certain circumstances, such as death.
LOCAL CONDITIONS
Local conditions determine the outcome of an action in a single room. For instance, the instruction Go West may have a perfectly happy outcome if you exit into meadow. However if you go west from a drawbridge and fall into a moat you'll have to program in a drowning.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS
These are small sets of instructions that can be called on at any time, such as letting the player know that a treasure chest can’t be car- ried because one is being held , or letting the players restart the game once they have died.
For the most part, conditions are exactly what you would expect them to be — tests for certain hap- penings and then a set of actions based on the results. For example, if you type in “Push The Red Button”, one set of conditions could check you still have your hands, that there is a red button in the game and you are in the right location, and then perform all the reactions caused by the pressing of the button. Anyone who has ever programmed in a high level language such as BASIC will know the format already. The layout goes something like: IF (X) THEN (Y) ELSE (Z) End Command
(X) is the test itself. Here the machine checks all the terms you have set and then replies with either true or false. (Y) is the set of actions followed if the response is true. (Z) is an optional part of a con- dition and gives a further set of instructions should the response be false. In our red button example
Readers of last mouth’s issue already have the amazing ST Adventure Creator ‘ (STAC) aud have been told how to.get it” running, This month we're looking at the heart of the package —conditions <and how to use them to their best,
(X) would be the list of tests we
have already described, (Y) would be the results of the button being pressed, say, the button lights up and a door opens. (Z) would be the result if any of the conditions were failed, such as a message saying you can’t do that.
The End Command tells the pro- gram what to do once it has worked through an instruction. “Wait” tells the program to place the cursor on screen and wait for the next command. This is used after something has been dis- played so that the users can see for themselves.
But what happens when an off screen action takes place, such as when a player picks up an object? All that happens within the pro- gram is that the room number allocated to that object is changed. The player needs a prompt to tell them this has taken place, so you need to end the line with the com-
mand “ok”. This prints the “Okay” message on screen.
Third and finally, “Newcom” prompts the player for a new instruction. This might seem odd, considering that this is what the program does automatically. In practise it isn’t. Let’s say you have just entered the command “Get All”, yet there are 200 objects in the room and you can only carry one. This means that from the second object onwards the program will continue to put the “You can't carry any more” message on screen, unless you end the line with the “Newcom” command.
COMMANDS
The most popular use for condi- tions is to check commands that have been entered. Commands can be split into three distinct com- ponents, Verbs, Nouns = and Adverbs, and for any word to be accepted it must already exist in
one of the three word lists. To check if a word has been entered, use Verb, Noun and Adverb. To see if the player has tried to pick up a dead rat, you would use the con- dition: If Verb “Get” and Noun “Rat” then Get 1 Ok
You may have spotted the new instruction in that line - Get 1. This is all part of the object handling routines in the program.
OBJECTS
The program handles everything numerically. All words have num- bers, as do objects, location descriptions, graphics and scores. In the last example, we assumed the rat was object 1, so on check- ing if the user had entered the command “Get Rat” the program got object 1 and moved it into the inventory, a mysterious location numbered -1. To put the object down in the current location, we use the command Drop. So the cor- rect condition to add now is:
If Verb “Drop” and Noun “Rat” then Drop 1 Ok
OBJECT CONDITIONS
There are a variety of other com- mands associated with handling objects, and to go into each onelike this would take far too long, so here itis, your at a glance guide to object handling conditions.
-GET
Used in the form “If (Something)
Then Get X” (X=Object number) This command moves objects
from their location to the inventory.
Can be used alongside commands
like Here to check validity of input.
-DROP
“If (Something) Then Drop X” This is the opposite to Get, and
moves objects from the inventory
to the current location.
“LIST
“If (Something) Then List X” or “If
(Something) Then List With” Gives an on screen listing of all
objects at location X or all objects
carried when used in the command
List With.
current location.
The ST Adventure Creator
allows anyone to write first class games for their ST.
program — now here’s part two of our tutorial. . .
-OBJLNG
“If (Something) Then Objing X” Prints the long object description
as entered in the Object menu.
-OBJSHT
“If (Something) Then Objsht X” Prints the short object descrip-
tion as entered in Object menu.
-BRING
“If (Something) Then Bring X” Moves the object stated to the
current location, if it isn’t there.
-FIND
“If (Something) Then Find X” Moves the player to the location
of the stated object. If the player is
carrying the object, this has abso-
lutely no effect.
-T0
“If (Something) Then X To Y” Moves object X to location Y
instantly.
-IN
“If X In Y Then (Something)” Tests to see if object X is at loca-
tion Y, and then acts accordingly.
-SWAP “lf (Something) Then Swap X Swap Y”
If the test is true, this will switch objects X and Y over. Useful in the case of the lamp in the test game. By holding a lit lamp in a non-exis- tent room, the unlit lamp and the lit lamp can be switched over every time the player lights the lamp.
-CARRIED
“If Carried X Then (Something)” Lets you check whether you are
carrying an object.
-HERE
“lf Here X then (Something)” Tests to see whether the chosen
object is in the current room.
Without this command, the player
would be able to get any object
from any part of the adventure.
-GETALL “If (Something) Then Getall”
Lets the player get everything in the current room.
-DROPALL “If (Something) Then Dropall” Empties the inventory into the
-SETSTR “If (Something) Then Setstr X” Strength is a numerical measure- ment of how much weight the player can carry. This com- mand lets you set the strength level as Xx.
-WEIGHT “If Weight X>Y Then (Something)” Gives the weight of the specified object and then tests it with a numerical condition. In this case the test is “Is the weight of X more than the number Y. Other compar- isons are “<” - Less than, “=” - equals to or “<>” unequal to. Any comparisons can be strung together as many times as you wish. This command can also be used in conjunction with mathe- matical equations using the standard notation. For example “If Weight 1 * 10 <= 100 Then Dropall Ok” would see if the weight of object 1 multiplied by 10 was less than or equal to 100. If so, then all objects would be dropped.
MESSAGES
Sometimes, you'll need the game to say a little more than just “Okay”. All the comments the pro- gram comes up with are held in the Message list and are called using conditions.
-MESSAGE “If (Something) Then Message X” Used to print message number X in the message bank once a con- dition has been met. If the player has typed “Wiggle Eyes”, the mes- sage could be “That will only get you in the funny farm”, therefore the condition would be “If Verb “Wiggle” And Noun “Eyes” Then Message 1 Wait”
-LF “If (Something) Then Lf Message x"
Prints the message on a new line instead of printing it with anything else. Lf stands for Line Feed.
-PRINT “If (Something) Then Print (X)” Used to print numerical informa- tion. If you wanted to know the weight of an object, then you could use the condition “If Verb “Weight” And Noun “Sausage” Then Print Weight 1 Wait”
ROOMS
Part of creating true atmosphere in an adventure is convincing players that their surroundings are real, and that these commands let you create a “real” world for the player.
-LOOK “If (Something) Then Look”
This prints the full room descrip- tion, lists all objects in the current room and displays the picture if there is one.
-GOTO
“If (Something) Then Goto X”
This command moves the player to a specified location once the conditions have been met. In the test adventure, you can’t enter the cave until you have the lamp. The difference between a connection in the room description and a condi- tion is that in this case, certain tests have to be passed, where as in the other you are free to come and go as you please. This com- mand also prints the long description of the room you enter.
-MOVETO
“If (Something) Then Moveto X” This is exactly the same as the
Goto command, except that it
doesn't print the new description.
-TEXT “If (Something) Then Text” Turns the graphics off.
-PICT “lf (Something) Then Pict” Turns the graphics on.
~SPLIT
“If (Something) Then Split” Switches between 40 and 80 col-
umn text modes.
MARKERS
Markers are switches that are used to store information on various parts of the game, for example if a certain button has been pressed or if a door has been left open. . . There are 512 of these little switches, numbered from Oto 511, and each can be set or reset (on or off). For example, let’s say the adventure is set in the arctic circle. You come across a small hut with only two rooms and one external door, the one you enter by. When you come in, the door is open, so marker 4 is set (on). You enter the other room, and the program checks to see if the door is open. It finds it is and sets marker 5. When you next enter the room with the door, the program sees
it
STAC Tutorial Part 2
that marker 5 is set and tells you that a Yeti has entered via the door you carelessly left open and has eaten you alive - Game Over.
-SET/RESET “If (Something) Then Set X” or “If (Something) Then Reset X”
These commands put marker Xin either the set or the reset position.
-SET?/RESET? “lf Set? X Then (Something) or “If Reset? X Then (Something)” These instructions check the state of marker X and return a value of true if the marker is set (in the case of Set?) and false if otherwise.
-CHANGE “If (Something) Then Change X”
Flips marker X from set to reset and vice versa, depending on its original state.
Counters hold numerical infor- mation and keep track of things such as money. There are 512 of them, and they can be used with the following commands:
-SETCNTR
“If (Something) Then Y Setcntr X” Sets counter X to amount Y. Y can
be a number, or another source of
numerical information, such as the
Weight command.
-COUNTER “lf Counter X (Expression) Then (Something)”
Reads the contents of counter X and uses it in a mathematical expression.
-INC/DEC “If (Something) Then Inc X” or “If (Something) Then Dec X”
These increments (add 1 to) or decreases (subtract 1 from) are useful for things like countdowns. By adding 1 toa counter every turn, and acting upon it when it reaches a certain number, you can set traps or bonuses wherever you like.
It's all down to your own wicked mind!
-+COUNT/-COUNT “If (Something) Then Y +count X” or “If (Something) Then Y -count
x"
Adds or subtracts amount Y from counter X. Used when changing counters by amounts greater than Ty
jame in
If (Something)
andingly incredi-
disks, making
GETTING STARTED WITH TIMEWORKS 2
w dK File Edit Options
Page Style Text Graphics Help E:\PUBLISH\DTP\INVOICE DTP
e DAP BE isa
Lakeside Chardery The Meadow,
St. Ives,
Lakeside Chandlery
~
eae Y % Inwoice No
ut
Cambridgeshire PE17 4LG Tel. 0480 496 789 Fax. 0480 496 189
Invoice Date
ul
PART THREE STATIONERY
In the third part of his tutorial on Timeworks 2, Terry
Freedman looks at h t t ~ #\ File Edit Options Page Style Text Graphics Help Acta A a Ae hl Daa E:\PUBLISH\DTP\INVOICE.DTP
own stationery : ' 2S SOE A AO AS A LS,
[nwotes To
Malcom McDonald Icom McDonald 23 Rumsett Way St. Ives
Cambridgeshire PE17 3RT
“ ea Ts ch
Carnbridgeshire PE17 3R
Cete of Mvoles oD
07.02.91
sisal
Whether you're using Timeworks Publisher 2 for your own personal use, for a club or society newslet- ter, or for a small business, there is @ great deal to be said for develop- ing a “House Style” to make things easier for you and for anyone else who has to produce material on your behalf.
This is the name that is given to the branding of stationery by the use of a basic design, or at least
} H Lakeside Chardery The Meadow,
—
St. Ives, Cambridgeshire PE17 4LG Inwoice No Tel. 0480 496 78
Fax. 0480 496 189
Irwoice Date
Malcom McDonald Malcom McDonald
some common elements. For 23 Russett Way 23 Rursett Way example, for business use you will res St Ives require letterheads - headed
“ * Cambridgeshire PE17 3RT Cambridgeshire PE17 SRT notepaper, compliments _ slips, . :
invoices and so on.
With Timeworks Publisher 2 it's relatively easy to create a House Style: you can create special para- graph styles and then save them for use in any document by saving the style sheet separately from the original document, as explained in the first tutorial.
Client Order No
RNO12
| Cete of nunica Seles Order No
| 07.02.91
| te
1) Invoice. DTP as it would appear on paper. 2) Invoice. DTP with all the frame guidelines visible.
Also, you can build up a design First, you need to open the Picture 1 shows you how this Ou looks complicated, with verti- _ from many different elements document called INVOICE. DTP. would look if you were to print it cal and horizontal lines all over the which you can “mix and match” in ‘This comes with Timeworks out, or if you've set up Timeworks place and so on. However, pressing
any document you like. This guide is designed to take you through the various stages in creating your own stationery.
Publisher 2 and should be in the DTP folder, which is, in turn, in the PUBLISH folder.
Publisher 2 so that it doesn’t show any guidelines.
Alternate E will reveal that the doc- ument has been built up from lots of different frames.
.
wok File Edit 9
Lakeside ¢ The Mead St. Ives,
Cambridge Tel. 0460 Fax. 0480
All around
Above
Left Right Below
nuvica To
B
a /\ «File
Edit Options
nvoieg =No
Style Text Graphics _E:\PUBLISH\DTP\INVOICE DT
Timeworks 2 Tutorial
10 11 =
Help
SALES Ih
Invoice No
Invoice Date
Maleora McDonald
3 Rigsett Way
t. Ives
Page Style Text Graphics
E: \PUBLISH\DT
Help
= i diuiuhiituuls
dgeshire PE1T 3RT
eon | Cate of Invoice | | 07.02.91
baa Order No
Aenunt No
No. of Parcels
2
DescriptionSerial Number
= —
]
ambridgeshire PE17 3RT
Seles Order No
20704 [22
3) A frame dialogue box tells you all you need to know about
your border.
5) Further down the INVOICE there are colummus of text and numbers.
Silva 85 regatm compazs
RW
D Shackle, 10mm
SERV
SUPERSPAR Spinnaker pole
=j6000 YACHTSPEED Standard blocks Rees aa EY PE Fa! —— ———
a a 1
| Quantity | | |
Trapeze handle 2
LT Spring hook, 44 men | 4
211 Fairlead top mount
\ Totak 7 AN File Edit QPRSEREH Page Style Text Graphics Help o E:\PUBLISH\DTP\INVOICE DTP = Tk
| all around :
Left Right
z 4 Above
i aa Mee i ek ee
4) The dialogue box of the very last frame on the page shows that ouly the bottom of it has been given a border.
3] To see how the vertical and horizontal lines were created and aligned properly, simply click inside a frame to highlight it, then select Frame Border from the options menu. The dialogue box which appears will tell you whether there is a border all around the frame, or just one or
two sides, or not at all, and how thick the border is.
O it you want to create, say, a vertical line to separate one part of the document from another, all you need to do is to draw a frame and give it a left, right or left and right border.
You might find it useful to high- light many different frames in turn in the INVOICE document, to see how the frame borders differ, and to see how the overall effect was created. For example, the horizon- tal line along the bottom of the invoice was created by placing a border on the bottom of the frame.
5 ] Now take a look further down * the document.
As you can see, it changes rather dramatically. Suddenly, there are several columns, all of which con- tain vertical lines separating them, and with text or numbers all per- fectly aligned.
pe A nen nine ea ee ea ss
6) In paragraph mode, high- light one of the column headings. . .
7)...and double-click on it to reveal the paragraph style’s attributes.
8) Still in paragraph mode, select one of the pr ices...
Justified a _Flushed left
Flushed right ble
HYPHENATION
6 ] Change to Paragraph mode by clicking on the paragraph icon in the toolbox - it’s the one on top of the pencil icon. You'l notice that all the info below the toolbox has changed: it now contains para- graph styles, which are all fairly descriptive.
With paragraph mode selected - the mouse pointer will have turned into a symbol which looks like a letter “P” back-to-front - click on any item of text. The text will turn white on a black background, showing that it has been selected, and a paragraph style will also be selected automatically in the infor- mation box on the left-hand side. Now, if you double-click on the paragraph style or the text, you'll be able to examine the attributes of that paragraph style. (If you find it difficult to double-click quickly enough, select Paragraph style from the Text menu instead. It has exactly the same effect).
As you can see, there’s quite a bit of choice involved. Bear in mind that any changes you make to a paragraph style will affect every
Text Graphics Help
w #\ File Edit Options Page Style 1 it | See
LABELS Y TEXT cope
DESCRP
PRICE QUANTY
TOTALS
E:\PUBLISH\DIPVINVOICE.DIP. =
Cambridgeshire PE17 3RT
rT
Cats of mvoice
07.02.91
o>: * Cllent Order No Sales
uf nutiig ue Cambridgeshire PE17 a: 2
RNOI2
DescriptionSerial Number
Silva 85 regatta compass RWO Trapeze handle
HOLT Spring hook, 44 mm D Shackle, 10m:
SERVO11 Fairlead top mount SUPERSPAR Spitumker pole
xt Graphics Help DIP u Dip
COL HEADER
BULLE “ Se
LETTER SPACING
piece of text to which that para- graph style has been assigned. So this might be an opportune moment to disable the Automatic Timed Backup.
In the example shown, we've decided to look at the paragraph style called Column Header. By clicking on the Options section in the paragraph style dialogue box, we can see exactly what was done with the text. It has been centred, hyphenation has been turned off and there are no bullets.
e You might want to try out the effects on the text of altering some or all of these attributes. Click on OK or Cancel, and select the num- bers in the prices column. Obviously, if you're going to be producing columns of figures, you'll want the numbers to be aligned properly - in this case, lin- ing up the decimal points. That way, no matter how large or small the number, and no matter how many figures there are to the left or right of the decimal point, they will always be neatly lined up.
Edit Options Page Style
Text Graphics Help
R Spinnaker pole
Double-clicking on these num- bers, while still in paragraph mode, shows some interesting things. Once you've obtained the para- graph style dialogue box, click on the Set Tabs option. This informs you that the tabs are set by their position on the ruler rather than their width, and that the first one is set to 1.5”. It also tells you, amongst other things, that it’s a decimal tab, which is why all the numbers are aligned along the dec- imal point.
Incidentally, setting up a para- graph style with a decimal tab as its attribute isn’t enough to cause the numbers to be lined up prop- erly. You also have to place a tab in the text. This is achieved by the complex procedure of pressing the Tab key before you type the num- bers in. Nine times out of 10, you can do so at the word processing stage in the confident knowledge that the tabs information willbe _ kept intact when you finally import the text file into Timeworks Publisher 2.
Now that you've got the hang of
it, try clicking on other bits of text and checking out what their para- graph styles are.
ou might also like to see what happens when you change the font size and style, which you can also do from within the paragraph style dialogue box. (You could also pol- ish up the design-sense brain cells by pondering on the question of which fonts are most suitable and which least suitable for a docu- ment such as this).
Now, suppose you create a para- graph style for every possible occasion, and they're all contained within one document.
What do you do? All you need to do is save the style sheet from within the File menu, and then use it with new documents whenever you like.
In case you still don’t believe that a complicated-looking document like INVOICE.DTP was created out of lots of smaller frames, click on different frames in turn, and move them about or even delete them. That's exactly what’s been done in picture 8.
Es
SET TAB POINTS for COL PRICE
TAB TYPE ‘Left | Right
(9). . .and look at the tabs dialogue box to see how
the uumbers are aligned.
a LIN.IMG
11) Click on the graphic to reveal what it’s called in
the Browser.
© Ihe picture of the fish at the top of the document was created in a painting package, as you can see if you select the frame it’s in. It’s called MARLIN.IMG - this name appears in the information section (the Browser) on the left-hand side, below the tool box. In fact, this pic- ture appears in several documents: try loading up Memo, Letter or Report, for example.
© This brings us onto the mix-
and-match idea mentioned earlier. Either create your own graphics using a package such as Hyperpaint or Degas Elite, or you could buy some clip art disks.
These are disks containing lots of pictures on various subjects or themes, and are available really cheaply from PD libraries. In the example here, the logo was created in Hyperpaint by using a combina- tion of drawing tools and the text facility, saved as an IMG file, and
Timeworks Tutorial 2
w /N\ File Edit Options Page Style Text Graphics Help a = 2 -; \PUBLISH\DTP\INVOICE, om
=)
a [ Stive 3 ugar compen "| RWO Trapeze handle HOLT Spring hook, 44 nen Of D Stwckle, 16mm Pairlead top mount SUPERSPAR Spinnaker sole YACHTSPEED Stendand blocks
(USTO Trapeze harness
10) Juggle the individual frames around to prove
that this document is actually a collection of parts.
then imported into Timeworks Publisher 2, where it was cropped and scaled.
The computer was supplied with Timeworks Publisher 2 - it’s called PC.GEM and it can be found in the PICTURES folder.
The picture could be used as a
NEXT MONTH
WE LOOK AT HOW TO USE TIMEWORKS PUBLISHER 2
logo for business or personal sta- tionery.
Why not try creating your own individualised stationery using paragraph styles and graphics?
4A1
CONNECTION TO
Prices of modems have | plummeted, but what software do |
you need to use one?
ost Bulletin Board
Systems (BBS) host
interesting dis- cussions on all kinds of topics. While comput- ing and the various makes of computer are bound to be popular sub- jects, you will find conferences on chess, bridge and other games, films, cooking and so on.
On-line conversations take place in “chat” mode - guaranteed to push up the telephone bill - which are often heated, as fingers on a keyboard appear to work faster than the human brain.
Off-line messages in a conference usually lead to useful replies; so, as you can see, a BBS can be a valu- able source of information.
Many people use a BBS to obtain PD software. The perfect platform for this service, small programs such as utilities or bug-fixes can be found in abundance; you can transfer these from the BBS to your computer by “downloading” them.
TERMINAL PROGRAMS
A modem on its own is of little use without a program to allow you to gain access to a BBS. Such a pro- gram will have set-up parameters for what you see on screen, how you transfer files between your computer and that of the BBS, which folder your downloaded files are saved in and so on.
Having just spent upwards of £100 on a modem, the last thing you need is to spend more money on a program to use it! The good news, therefore, is that most Comms software is either PD or shareware - a brief look at a few of the better examples follows.
VANTERM
Probably the most popular share- ware package, VanTerm is now at version 4.0. The documentation included with it is brief because it has one of the best on-line Help files of any ST program - you can point to any menu option and get an immediate on-screen comment.
The usual terminal options are
Thanks
Goodman
Mike
International
Goodman of (0782 335650) for providing the four
to
(Set Flow | |_Set Baud |
in the ointment is | (Softee
the lack of
ZModem support; The Autodialer only XModem and YModem are han-
died within the
program; a sepa- Capture Buffer rate ZModem module can be used via the Script Files
Execute Program Execute .00
function although such a module is not included with VanTerm.
~ Retu
Moden ~-
i [Set Protocols Baud a : Macro Editor |
Duplex - Full
Duplex ] [tcea-c } [ seve-c J Set Paths ] available and |i (tap suff) fm ed Cd aerate ry) VanTerm has Men-Free:721252, jy — both an Il Quit } 5 Cap Buff: File Selector ] autodi- |i [Tern Hode | & Auto Dialer | D/Load} [U/Load] aler ~ . al fs = > and r o - Dterm; an excellent simple-to-use comms program. grammable —: ‘ ST function [Freeze FreeZe Dried Terminal v2.12 (Deno) Freeze keys. The only fly Dried Copyright ©1991-1992 Aaron Hopkins {erie 0 re
~~ Main Menu -8-
Transfers Macros
Quick Dial Send File Alog/Amac Editor Init Strings Edit Batch Queue Offline Amacs
ASCII Send |
Text Editor
Other
Rs-232 Config
Disk Commands Font Installation Disk Connands Default Paths Save Setup
rn Online ~- Exit FzDSTern
There are plenty Freeze Dried, the latest flavour-of-the-month,
of useful facilities,
such as the ability to create and delete folders, change paths for saving downloaded files, display, delete, rename and copy files along with free memory and free disk space meters.
UNITERM
Uniterm has been around since 1986, and is looking very dated. The documentation is not of the highest order and while Uniterm has many functions, figuring out how they work is not easy. For example, setting a path for down- loaded files to be saved to has to be carried out from a command line, not a file selector. Comments such as “Reset Tektronix Mode” may mean a great deal to a Comms specialist but it just doesn’t cut it with the casual user. Only XModem and guy File YModem are supported - directly, but the Run Program option will also allow you to access the RZ and SZ (Receive and Send ZModem respectively) modules which are included with Uniterm.
Toggle
{ 2 3 4 5 Switch 6 Switch F? F8 Toggle
b] Fi6 Toggle CapsLock
Help
~ Reset Tektronix Node
43/24 Line Mode Short Break Write Buffer To YDI Device Start File Capture Print Textscreen Long Break
Reset Terninal Enter Zoon Hode
Toggle Meta Mode Print Screen
DTERM
This is my personal favourite. While not GEM-based, which means that it doesn’t use menus and the like, Dterm is extremely easy to use. Most of the on-screen buttons set a particular function and the setting for that function is shown in the central section of the display.
Transfer protocols include X, Y and ZModem, so you rarely need to use the Execute Program option. However, the autodialer is a must; it saves a lot of on-screen hassle with trying to remember telephone numbers and passwords.
In use, Dterm is simple. The set- up options are saved when you first
Transfer Settings Other
__Alternate +
end Answerback String
To Graphics Screen To Text Mode
Dump Screen To Disk Playback A File Start History Recording Start Filetransfer
View History Buffer Save History Buffer Hold Screen
indo Exit
Autoprint 88/132 Column Mode
oNnxcHM Zero >
Each of these are . TTP pro-
grams which means that aa
__ View By Buf
ffer Loon Mode
ackspace Previous
you are again forced to use 95° Hove Screen : : one §=— Top eturn Restart a command line display | ho Line up/do indo Exit iti © Page Up/0om where it is easy to type the hase Up/bouny f iocort ta
incorrect commands.
The original standard, Uniterm is now showing its age.
at
Ne =SSsaaT
Terninal 2
TRANSFERRING FILES
There protocols which are used for file move- ment. The simplest of these is ASCII which is generally used for text transfers; other protocols encode data to speed up trans- fer. The these follows their alphabetical order; XModem is generally less effec- tual than YModem which is in turn slower transfer ZModem YModem
are various
efficiency of
in than
uses a fixed size
where between 128 and 1024 bytes (one Kilobyte). At the end of each block being transferred, an acknowledgement is sent; if the block contains an error, the entire block has to be re-sent With ZModem, blocks can be of variable size which leads to less data being retransmitted when errors occur.
ZModem will probably be your first choice: it compresses data “on the fly” and so gives extremely good results with non-compressed files. If files are already compressed by LZH or some other process, then there is little to choose between using YModem, with one Kilobyte blocks, and ZModem.
use it and a click on the relevant number in the auto-dialer sets Dterm in motion.
FREEZE DRIED V2.12
This has one immediate disadvan- tage for 520 owners; it needs one Megabyte of RAM upwards. It’s another non-GEM program, but one that is well set out and easy to use; more to the point, it is immensely powerful.
Freeze Dried supports X, Y and ZModem pro- tocols and allows you to set up a script; this
at am effectively allows it to Hy id pete run itself once you set Delete Fil it in motion. Different dit F-K
Fait Fkeuy fonts are offered for gl tt screen use and a com- Kernit Par, prehensive autodialer Load Setup . ,
Set Path is also included.
Run Prog.
Unfortunately, the PD version has many of the main features dis- abled. There again, the full version is available for only £15.
Save Setup Set Tabs Quit
RS232 Par. YHoden Par YModen Par. Terminal 1
Recommended Boards
The following is a list of ST Review recommended Bulletin Boards. Each board is entirely specific to comms users with an ST
ef
1A%
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Premier Premier Music Services .....cccccscscesecsvacscesees 104
Special Reserve Silica
PLEASE RESERVE ME A COPY OF ATARI ST REVIEW EVERY MONTH BEGINNING WITH THE EOF ISSUE
NEW/SAGENT - ATARI ST REVIEW IS AN EMAP PUBLICATION
SK THE EXPERT
OLD SOFTWARE NEVER DIES
HELP! | am an STE
owner with a bit of
a problem. No, it’s
not compatibility.
No, it's not my
disk drive breaking
down, nor is it the
blitter chip blowing its brains out!
It's asimple problem of where! can
get hold of some software from the dim and distant past.
1) 10th Frame by Accolade - the one and only Bowling Simulator. It has to be cheaper than the real thing!
2) Arena by Psygnosis - although slow, the graphics were nice.
3) Brataccus, also by Psygnosis - | never did understand the game, but enjoyed it anyway. | know you're all. laughing and falling off your chairs, but after selling the ST since it came out, in a shop in Luton, | became addicted to these old timers and would like to play them again. Provided, of course that they'll work with my STE!
Congratulations, by the way on your excellent magazine. The cover disks on the July issue were brilliant, especially Asteroids. | even wrote to David Cowan to con- gratulate him on it. Looking forward to your August issue. Keep up the good work.
Robin Bithrey, Dunstable, Beds
I'm afraid that the games you mention are all a distant mem- ory, Robin. I agree that there are few to compete with the likes of 10th Frame, one of my personal favourites from those days, but unfortunately, that’s all they are - fond memories. Perhaps some kind reader out there has a copy of one or all of these that they’d be willing to swap or sell to you. Drop usa line if you can help.
BUGS A KNIGHTMARE?
In reference to the let- ter concerning the game Knightmare, | also had problems with this game. The bug was fixed and now works fine, however perhaps there could be some early versions still on the shelves that are still bugged. | would suggest that Mr. Kerr checks the number on the options screen after booting. If the number is not V1.5, then contact Mindscape for a replacement. | have always found Mindscape very helpful in the past.
Has anyone had any problems
with Elvira Il by Accolade? There appears to be at least two bugs in this which makes it almost impos- sible to play. The worst is a constant bombing out when trying to explore the spider maze area, between two and nine bombs are not unusual. The game also has a habit of writing saved games to dif- ferent FAT sectors on the save disk and refuses to restore them. Having contacted Accolade UK, | am told that only the parent com- pany can do anything about it and Accolade USA dispute that there is a bug. | feel very bitter that having paid good money, | can only play about a quarter of it. Maybe if some others are having trouble we can pressure Accolade into doing something. My software dealer won't change the game or give me a refund as the game is now two months old. Can | get any redress from Accolade? D. Clifford, Swindon, Wilts
We contacted Accolade and they admit that there is a problem with one of the disks (with the Spider Maze, in fact). At the time of writing they are waiting for the American developers to send over a replacement version of the disk — and this will be bug-free. All of the problem disks will be replaced free of charge for all existing owners of the game; however the FAT sec- tors Save problem is new to them so they will be getting in touch with you to get more com- plete details.
If anyone is experiencing simi- lar difficulties with the game the feel free to contact on Accolade on 081 877 0880.
DRIVE UPGRADE DIFFICULTIES
| have a 1987 520STFM and have been intend- ing to upgrade toa & double-sided disk @ drive. for some “aan
from Evesham Micros, but it was about half the size of the original drive and the leads wouldn't reach at all.
Can you suggest a more suitable alternative? Is there an official product?
John Collins, Acocks Green, Birmingham
| think we managed to answer this one in our extensive feature on drive upgrades in the last issue. If you missed it, try our subscriptions dept. Very often, if the lead has to be turned through 180 degrees, they can come up short. Any one
of the internal drives in-the buyers guide should be suitable for you, the best overall in our tests of exter- nal drives (which basically use the same mechanism) was_ the Cumana, but Power do an internal replacement for £35.
SLOW EMULATION? | have AT Speed C16, the PC emulator. The problem is that | tested the speed of the CPU with various PC utilities, and here are the results:
Norton CPU speed 3.6 PC Tools relative speed 315%
AT Speed C16 should have a clock speed of 16MHz and a Norton Factor of 8.2. My tests imply that my emulator is a 286 4.77MHz. Two true 286 machines were tested and here are those results:
286/8MHz Norton 4.4, PC Tools 435% 286/11MH Norton 6.3 PC Tools 540%
Hence | believe that my AT Emulator is not working correctly. Is there any reason why it is going slower than these machines? Maybe | have incorrectly installed the board and itis only partly work- ing?
| have tried calling the Silica and Compo helpline, but they could not help. Is there any advice you can give me to find out if the board is properly installed and what the true clock speed is?
N. Gani, London, SE1
Norton Utilities is notorious for giving different results with dif- ferent versions; part of the reason for this is that Norton have changed the principles they use for creating their benchmarks. With the relevant version, you will get a Norton factor of 8.2 and a clock speed of 16 MHz.
There are various inherent problems of using a PC emula- tor inside an ST. The first of these is that if a piece of PC software needs to talk directly to a piece of hardware specific to the PC, it can’t actually do so; the DOS hardware is being emulated in software and soa software routine is performing the task. Non-standard DOS tasks will certainly cause prob- lems which an emulator may not be able to handle.
The AT Speed C16 has a 32 MHz clock crystal from which
Any questions? Whatever you need to know about your ST or anything connected to it, we can answer. Our
panel of experts are
waiting to help you...
the 16 MHz on-board clock is derived. When the board has to speak with the ST’s memory, it can only do so at 8 MHZ due to the clock speed of the ST. Consequently, you don’t get the expected performance jump when moving from an 8 MHz to a 16 MHz AT Speed.
Anyone using a PC emulator on the ST must ask themselves why they are so doing. If it’s to run PC software eight hours a day, an emulator is not the auswer; get a PC. If you want to learn about DOS, continue with DOS programs outside of work hours, and use the emulator for occasional work only, that’s
fine. SPECTRUM 512 ON THE STE
Please could you tell me if there is a utility that allows a user to edit Spectrum -SPC/.SPU files in STE full colour, as the copy of the pro- gram | received with Rombos COMPLETE COLOUR SOLUTION Digitiser will not edit the pictures using the STEs extended palette. The version of Spectrum 512 | have is 1.01
| also have Neochrome Master, which can cope with the STE palette, but will not load files with the Spectrum file extensions.
Is there anything, in the Public Domain, preferably? I’ve been searching for months now without success.
Cari Wilson, Merseyside
Liverpool,
You can achieve this through using two different conversion programs. The first is called SpecGif4 and converts Spectrum .SPC and .SPU files to GIF, the Graphic Interchange Format, as 320 x 200 pixels with 256 colours. Follow this up with ViewGif 1.2 which loads GIFs and then allows for them to be converted into various ST formats. The choice depends on which resolution you are work- ing in; in low resolution, you can save a .NEO file which can then be loaded into NeoChrome Master. We tried the conversion here and it works fine.
Another option is to use SPC2PI1 which converts Spectrum files to low resolution Degas images, which can then be imported directly into NeoChrome Master. We can’t attest to this as neither piece of software was to hand.
SpecGif4 andViewGif can be obtained from the 16/32 PD library on 0634 710788. SPC2PI1 is available from the ST Club on 0602 410241.
HIGH DENSITY UPGRADE
I've read about the possibility of
upgrading to a 1.44 megabyte drive. Could
you tell me how to ky go about it and {
commercial programs
using this format, or any plans to do so? Mike Suffolk
Baines, Stowmarket,
The advantage of a 1.44 meg drive is the extra storage space. A standard double density drive, formatted from the desk- top, will give you 720k of storage, whereas a high density drive will effectively double this. There are no plans to change, although the new Falcon 030 machine is rumoured to have a high density drive as standard. It is unlikely that any software will be exclusively available, as this will exclude the majority of ST users. A high density drive is still capable of reading and writing to its lower density brothers. The Atari Workshop can supply you with a kit for the upgrade for £99.95 includ- ing the drive itself.
COLD HARD HEADACHE o>
| have a 50 Meg AY Mega Drive and 4 recently received “}
a copy of COLD 3 HARD CACHE from “Ng Public Dominator. The problem | have is that when con- figuring the cache, it has completely corrupted my hard drive. The only way out was to reformat and partition, as all this information was lost. Any ideas? | won't use the program for fear of it happening again. Fortunately | had a fairly recent backup, so not too much was lost,
Terry Maton, Perivale,
There are a lot of different third-party cacheing programs available for the ST. Anything that works so close to the oper- ating system is prone to giving problems. Our advice is to stick with something like CACHExxx.PRG, which seems to work with most programs and drives.
NEODESK LOADING PROBLEM
| wonder if you can help me with a small, but annoy- ing problem? | have recently bought Neodesk 3 and installed it on my hard drive in a
folder. My ST is an early520 STFM upgraded using the Frontier 2.5 meg upgrade, and when | attempt
to load WNeodesk automatically using STARTGEM.PRG, | get an
error message telling me that NEODESK.EXE must be in the same folder as NEOLOAD.PRG. The thing is that they're both in the same folder! I've tried modifying the .INF file and putting all the NEO files on to the root directory of drive C, but no joy, still the same error message. Is there any reason why this won't run? | like Meodesk and, having the extra memory available, would like to use it. It would be far more convenient if it would auto- load at bootup.
Roy Stoker, Barnsley, Yorks
Thad this problem myself, Roy. The way I got round it was to put the NEOLOAD.PRG into the AUTO folder before STARTGEM. Then run it as normal, still calling for NEOLOAD.-PRG in the START- GEMLINF file. You should now be able to put all of the NEODESK files in their own folder and run them as normal. I use a PD bootup selector pro- gram (Superboot) with NEO as the default setup, and it now runs without any problems.
MIDI IN, OUT OR THRU?
At last, an ST maga- zine which covers music thor- oughly! | wonder if you could answer this question. | have a 1040 STFM and have just bought a Kawai K-1 keyboard, which has sounds on-board, and an old Roland MT-32. What! cannot do is figure out how to connect up the system. What it comes down to is; what's the difference between a MIDI Out and a MIDI Thru? Don't they do the same thing? In the meantime, keep up the good work! Steve Johnson, Derby
There was a letter last month from a reader also having trou- ble with MIDI connections. It is certainly an area where prob- lems occur and it is rather unfortunate that hassle here may put you off working with MIDI.
A MIDI In is like an ear; it “hears”, or receives MIDI infor- mation. In a similar vein, you can envisage a MIDI Out as a mouth; it “speaks” or transmits MIDI information. The MIDI Thru? This is like the next door neighbour who hears everything, runs outdoors and tries to tell anyone who wants to listen! In other words, the MIDI Thru is a direct copy of the MIDI In.
If you want to send MIDI infor- mation from your ST to two different synths, connect the MIDI Out (the “mouth”) of the ST to the MIDI In (the “ear”) of the first synth and the MIDI Thru from there to the MIDI In of the second synth, Have a look
at the first part of the MIDI System series on page 114. Thanks to Peter Buick for the humorous MIDI connection explanations.
FORTY FOLDERS ONLY?
| am_ considering buying a_ hard
520 STFM, and | keep reading about the forty folder bug. Can you tell me what it is and how to fix it, please?
R. Bartrip, Kirby Cross, Essex
The problem with ST TOS is that there is a limit to the num- ber of folders you can open. After 40, the system starts doing weird and wonderful things like incorrect displaying of directories in windows. Fortunately, it’s an easy bug to fix. All that is needed is a small program called FOLDERxxx.PRG, where the xxx is the number of extra fold- ers you can open over the original 40. This is placed in the auto folder of your boot disk (usually drive C for hard drives). The program allocates extra RAM from the computer to allow more folders to be opened, You can have up to 999 extra folders, but usually one or two hundred are sufficient.
SHUT THAT WINDOW! When I'm swap- ping programs around on the desktop, | keep get- ting a message saying “The GEM Desktop has no more windows. Please close a window that you are not using.”
Why is this, and what can | do about it? Steve Wilson, Bath, Avon
The GEM desktop will only allow you to open four windows at any one time. If you close windows when you are finished with them, you'll not have the problem. However, some alter- native desktops will allow for more windows. NEODESK can have up to seven, although updates do get a little slower when they are all open. The Public Domain GEMINI will also support up to seven open windows.
My mouse, Percy, is
being extremely “a9 unwell. He just sits qui- etly at the top of the screen and refuses to budge. Is there a vet that you can recommend to take him to?
APPLE IMAGE WRITER I! AND THE ST
Could you advise me please if there’is a printer driver available to enable me'to printdocuments using an Atari 1040 STFM with an attached
colour printer?
An alternative to this is to purchase a locally Si} available, used |mage Writer printer, which | under- stand would be suitable for the above purpose: However, the printer in question is an !mage Writer ll. Would this be suitable and if so, would | require'a special lead to link this printerto the 25 pin printer
socket on the ST. J. Garvey, Pewsey, Wiltshire
(have an/Atari 520'ST and an Apple Image Writer i which l'm having problems setting Up to print. | have written to Apple who have kindly sentme switch'set- tings and’plug-to-plug wirings. Needless to say these
have not worked. R. M., London, E3
Difficult to give a straight answer to this one. Apple’s Image Writer I uses a custom Apple software routine called QuickDraw. It's a 9-pin dot matrix priuter, but doesn’t emulate auy of the usual 9-pin standards such as Epsou or IBM
inter.
With the Spectre GCR Mac emulator, there i some hope; page 135 of the older manual has a
pin-out table for connections between the 8-pin mint DIN plug for the Mac and the 25- pin RS-232 (modem port) for
Or am | best to perform a mercy killing and go out and buy a nice young stud of a mouse? | notice that they are a lot cheaper now than when | first got my ST.
Andy Greyling, Cannock, Staffs
The problem is not with Percy, but with his cage, I’m afraid. The symptoms you describe sug- gest that it is the mouse port that has died and not the mouse itself. You can, of course, test this by borrowing a mouse from a friend. If it still won't work, then ship your computer off to a good repair shop and have a new port fitted. To prevent the problem recurring, invest in a port extension from Atari Workshop. It will only cost £4.95, but will save a lot in the long run. This advice goes to all STFM/E owners too. The design of the ST was not the best when it comes to the mouse and joy- stick ports, but you'll find the extensions a lot easier to work with, especially if you swap joy- sticks and mice a lot to play games.
RODENTS RETURN! My existing Atari mouse is showing signs of failing, so. it's become time upgrade it. Can you tell me which mouse is the best one to get, and what DPI means? I've seen this quoted and
2 & ~~
2
the ST which is as follows: Thts ts effectively a null moden lead; also required will be the relevant RTS/CTS auto program: to correct the failings of this particular furction on the ST. The pro- pram will depend on the version of TOS in the computer; Turbo CTS appears to be one of the ost reliable across different TOS verstous. While this should work with the Mac emula- tion, the position for using an Image Writer IT directly with an ST fs less clear. Simply wiring up the lead as above and having the RTS/CTS
patch loaded in will still not make the ST print out in QuickDraw routines; the best that is likely to happen ts that pure text will be OK, but
Kittle else ... unless you feel like purchasing and using PageStream 2.1 which has an Image Writer H driver as standard. Apparently Soft Logik get around the problem by transmitting all
print commands mm QuickDraw format. The price of Pagestream ts £169; details from Silica
on 081-3097 1111.
As for the colour Star LC-10, at the time of printing we couldn't ascertain down whether it ts supported or not. There are three programs for the ST specifically written to drive non-Mac priaters with Mac emulators and while the LC-
10 is supported by these, it is uncertain whether
know that the higher the rating, the better, but no more that that. Love the first three issues, by the way, keep up the good work.
Jeff Cunnington, East Ham, London
There are many different mice on the market and they all use the DPI method of describing their performance. DPI stands for Dots Per Inch, and if you measure the distance across your monitor screen, you'll see that the higher the number, the less you need to move the mouse to get it from one side to the other. Sometimes it is possible to have a mouse that's too sensi-
the colour version is, For more information, cou- tact HCS on 084-777 0754.
tive (Drawing graphics, for example), so it's best to get one that's going to suit you. I find that anything over about 250 DPI will give a good response without having to add a mouse accellerator program. If you use an accellerator as well, you can make it faster and slower as the need arises. There are other options too, like optical mice that have no ball, and even cordless ones. These have their uses and, although more expen- sive, are worth a look before you part with your cash. If you can, try and visit a local shop and try out as many different
mice as you can before deciding.
If you have a question or problem with your
ST or any of the hardware or software that
you are using with it, then write it down and
mail it off to our team of experts right now.
We will answer all your questions eventually
but our level of mail at the moment is huge,
so please bear with us if we don’t answer
your question immediately. Send your letter to Ask the Experts, ST Review, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R
3AU.
remember to mark on the outside of your
envelope the nature of your enquiry.
VIC LENNARD Music, MIDI and
sound recording.
Our very own technical editor can actually handle enquiries that you have but as President of the UK MIDI Association, there's more tuned into the ST music scene than him. A wiz with a mixing desk too, he can help with all your musical enquiries from playing music to recording
most
no-one
ANDREW WRIGHT Non-programming and all your more
general problems. Erstwhile Technical Editor of Atari ST User, Andrew was an obvious choice for our panel of experts. One of the best known all-round techni- cal experts in the ST World (eh?) he can answer all the quirkiest questions that you have
JOHN MALLINSON Word Processors, DTP and Printers
If reincarnation is true, then John will no doubt return to this earth in the guise of a laser printer. If you have any problems with your Word Processing, DTP or printing, be it dot matrix, bubblejet, or better, then John will be the answer to your problem
GARTH SUMPTER Games and consumer
watchdog...
Yes our very own editor will be looking at your consumer problems. Want to know where to get that game or program? Garth will know or can find out. As the con- sumer watchdog, he can also tell you where to get the product that you want or what to do if you're not satis fied once you've got it.
STOS /Graphics
The writer of the STOS tutori- al, Tony has already imparted some little gems of informa tion but is still on call to answer all your STOS pro- graming questions and graphics questions
DIAL - A - TIP
Cheats, Tips, and Game Solutions CHEATS GALORE
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0891 442 022 Experienced, qualified engineers. Any upgrade fitting, fixed price £15.00 inclusive. | FIRST SAMURAI HELPLINE Terms and conditions available upon request. 0891 445 926 UNBELIEVABLE UPGRADE PRICES MAGIC P TS/RODLAND SOLUTION S2OSTFM/STF to 1M See Cee 4 520/1040STFM/STF to 2.5Mb 0891 445 928 520/1040/STFM/STF TO 4Mb | COMPUTER FUNLINE aM ie 4 big aye (e) | 0891 445 799 520/1040STE to 4Mo } WIZZ KIDD COMPUTER QUIZ
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PROPRIETOR:- Jacquline Wright, Guiding Light Computer Services Limited, PO Box 17, Ashton UnderLyne, Lancs, OL7 0WW
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EMULATORS & ACCELERATORS
DISK DRIVES
SOMME, PoP MAORI EME Sys sacvscecyestcetoascbosevenebtdivassachossaibievsslanpboaswsy 49.95 1 Meg 3.5" External Drive with its Own PSU .............sse-ssersesereseserseeee 59.95
ACCESSORIES
STE/STFM Scart Lead............::ssscesssesee 14.95 Squik Mouse.........00 14,95 STE/STFM lead to Phillips CM8833.....12.95 Dust Cover... 4 Phillips CM8833 Dust Cover..............:+. 6.95 Mouse Mat... 4: Twin Joystick/Mouse Port Extension Lead... 5.95 10 Blank disks............ 5.95
POWER SUPPLIES
STFM/STE Power Supplies Supplies (service exchange)... 34.95 NEW STFM/STE power Supplies with ONE YEAR GUARANTEE...44.95
* All prices include VAT and subject to availability
* Fixed charge for repair does not include disk drive replacement & keyboard * All prices subject to age without notice * We reserve the right to refuse any ST repair
ENUINE PRICE MATCH
PROTAR HARD DRIVES NEW LOW PRICES
D | \ SON AUTHORISED REPAIR CENTRE
esoge 40 .....0:+000289,00 * ALL PROTAR DRIVES Progate 50 DC........369.00 ARE SERIES 2 AND COME Progate 80 .......:00e« 429.00
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WHILE - U - WAIT!!!
@MEMORY UPGADES @ EMULATORS @ ACCELERATORS @ MANY REPAIRS
RING US FOR ¢
LETTERS
WHERE TO GET ‘MIDI MAZE’
In June’s ST Review, Tony Packrington asked about Midi- Maze. As far as | know, it is available as Midi-Maze |! V1.5 as shareware from Floppyshop, disk GAM226.
Love the new mag by the way! Gareth Harrison, Tamworth, Staffs
Well Tony, thanks to Gareth you can now get completely lost in the maze.
LYNX COVERAGE
lam pleased that you are covering the Lynx, since few magazines cater for it. This is a real shame, as the Lynx is an amazing piece of hardware. Are you going to cover the Lynx all the time and review add-ons and games?
This would be great as we Lynx owners sometimes don’t know what the games are like.
Marc Gibb, Inverallochy, Aberdeenshire
The Lynx is well catered for in other areas. However, we will be occasionally bringing you features on all aspects of the Atari range, from Lynx to TT, so watch these pages.. In the meantime, why not try the excellent GO magazine which is free with a copy of COM- PUTER + VIDEO GAMES which concentrates wholly upon handheld games machines?
SOFTWARE BUGGING YOU?
Once upon a time, | used to be the proud owner of a_ Sinclair Spectrum 128k, Although you had to wait a lifetime for a program to load, at least they ran without any problems. | later upgraded to the Atari 1040STE as | required a com- puter which could handle WP and DTP. | was led to believe by the salesman that the ST had improved hardware and software capabilities and without a doubt, the ST is a far more powerful com- puter, operating at over double the speed and with eight times the memory capacity, but why has the software not improved by as much?
To give credit where it’s due, there are some great programs for
the ST but some packages which certain magazines even praise do not offer value for money or fully complement the ST’s vast and robust capabilities.
After lashing out £169 on Pagestream 2 by Soft Logic, the so labelled “highly acclaimed” DTP package, | found it to be ridden with problems. The package bombs out if you do the slightest thing wrong and sometimes even when you do something that is perfectly valid! Use more than a couple of fonts and the screen dis- play becomes corrupted. Bleed some text or pictures to add a bit of flair to the layout (a documented feature) and it doesn’t print at all, and whatever you do don’t put the wrong fonts disk in by mistake or the program will never forgive you and just crash!
Surely when you pay hundreds of pounds for packages they should be fully tested before they are released and be made user-friendly so that even if the user does do something wrong, the program won't crash? And updated ver- sions, which “remedy” the problem often have some added features, too, but which usually just introduce even more bugs. Surely it is illegal to advertise pack- ages which don‘t work properly? Then, in the end, as we are wit- nessing now, the _— software companies tell us they are pulling out of making programs for the ST as it’s not profitable!
It's not just serious software that’s affected. It's games as well. Adventure games crash and report “Stack Full” when you wander off in certain directions. A part solu- tion to both of my problems may be to upgrade my memory and get a hard drive, by why should | when packages are advertised to work on @ standard 1040STE?
| realise that it is often impossi- ble to uncover all the bugs in a program when magazines like your own have only a matter of days to write reviews for new products, but | suggest that after reviewing packages, Atari ST Review follows them up with it's own “Software Support Page” where users of pro- grams can write in with some of the problems they've experienced
and some of the ways to avoid them. This way existing users can find comfort in that they are not the only ones having problems and hopefully can find some help, and those considering buying products can see which ones seem to give the most problems in_ specific areas. Only by finding out from people who regularly use a pack- age can you give an accurate review of it. Finally, thanks for a great new magazine and please continue your great idea of com- parison reviews.
Graham Stewart, Perth
A certain amount of develop- ment work is needed on all packages and the more complex a program is, the more likely it is to have some bugs (however minor). With the ST the number of different machine configura- tions available for the ST, and with every user customising their own working environment, it would be impossible to pro- duce totally bug-free software. Programmers are usually just as keen as you are that their package works well on all machines, but they are only human and mistakes do occur. I would suggest a thorough exam- ination of what AUTO programs and accessories you're running whilst running Pagestream 2 to see if anything is clashing with it and causing the problems you mention. As to a Software Support page, that already exists in the form of our Ask The Experts pages. If we don’t know an answer, we'll find it out on your behalf.
MORE ON MIDI MUSIC WANTED
If | may, | should like to make a small suggestion with regards to your music section.
Other ST magazines take it for granted that everyone knows everything there is to know about MIDI and music. A lot of people out here, however, are still confused as to how they should go about things.
If you would find a small space for a tutorial on beginners’ MIDI systems, I’m sure this would be of
Points of View
Here’s your chance to have your say, and all for the cost of a stamp! Tell us your thoughts and share them with the best informed ST owners anywhere — you the readers. We want to hear what you've got to say so drop us a line and give us your very own Points of View.
great help to a lot of would-be enthusiasts. Roye Albrighton, Staffordshire.
I quite agree, Roye! Keep your eyes open for a complete glos- sary of terms used in the MIDI Monthly
SERIOUS APPLICATIONS WANTED
Having just read your magazine | would like to congratulate all con- cerned for producing an absolutely excellent magazine. In particular, the article on memory upgrades was the best | have ever seen in any magazine. | was_ very impressed with the quality of the photographs outlining every step clearly and precisely.
| have read both ST FORMAT and ST USER regularly for just over a year now, but | can say without hesitation that | will be replacing one of these (probably the latter) with your magazine.
The only things | could suggest to improve your already first class magazine would be the inclusion on your second disk cover of seri- ous application packages, and perhaps a small ads section for readers.
Thank you very much for improv- ing the ST magazine scene. Long may it last.
Mick Poulton, Scotland.
Strathclyde,
Judging from the mail, Mick, you seem to be joining a grow- ing band of loyal supporters. We're pleased that we’ve man- aged to listen to what you want and give it to you. We are searching for good material all the time for your cover disks and utilities are high on our list of priorities, as well as serious applications. The problem is that applications are so wide spreading and reaching, it’s dif- ficult to find specific programs with “mass appeal”, but we'll keep looking in order to offer you the best we possibly can.
MORE COMPETITIONS PLEASE
| would like to tell you your maga- zine is a good one for those who
have an Atari ST or STE comput- ers. | wonder if in the next few issues ATARI ST Review cover disks could include Super League Soccer, Soccer Match, John Barnes European Football and edu- cational disks like Lets Spell, Spell Bound and Learn to Read?
And what about a lot of compe- titions with prizes of football games, music disks and education disks?
R. Frost, Suffolk.
Well, Mr. Frost, we don’t need to look too far to see what you do on Saturday afternoons, do wet Well, we cater for everyone, so look out for out review of Man Utd in the VFM section and our great keyboard compe- tition on page 118.
PAY LESS TO START?
Your new Atari magazine is wel- come.
Firstly, it does not address itself to young illiterates; secondly, how- ever, you need to differentiate your front cover from your competition. The first issue looked almost like another magazine to which | sub- scribe.
| am afraid fifty pounds is a bit rich for a 12 month's subscription - not that the magazine plus disk may not be worth it, but it is just too much for people to pay out for at once. How about a special offer of twenty pounds for six months? Once people find that they like it they will probably willingly pay fifty or even sell members of their fam- ily in order to raise the cash.
John Ritter, Bucks.
Before you stick your grand- mother into a copy of Exchange and Mart, the 12 month sub- scription is the only offer that we can offer along with the range of free gifts that we advertise for it. With a six month subscription, the costs of administering the issue remain about the same so a six month subscription could actually turn out to be even more expensive! We will look into it though, but for the meantime the yearly sub- scription is all we have to offer.
LET'S GET SERIOUS
| am an STE owner who predomi- nantly uses it for playing games. | bought the machine however with the intention of learning to pro- gram and chose the STE rather than the Amiga because | was led to believe the Amiga was more of a games machine. While | still believe this is true, | find yet another magazine devoting most of its pages to game coverage and product reviews.
Why doesn’t somebody produce a@ magazine which deals with aspects of computing that the other ST magazines don't cover?
The extensive review of Bubble Jet printers was timely for me because | am thinking of buying one, but | want a colour printer which it did not cover.
Even if the only thing of use to me was the STOS tutorial, scheduled to run for the next five months, | would have still bought the maga- zine; but having seen the lack of STOS tutorial published | seriously question the sense of spending £3.95 for 12 pages of information.
Please realise the gap in the mar- ket that needs filling is the programming slot, covering all forms of program and language application that the ST supports.
Let’s have one magazine for the ST which gets away from the image which is associated more with the Amiga than the Atari. Dave Clarey, Norfolk.
We are trying to cater for the majority of readers in the hope of providing something for everyone. Most ST users do actually use their machines for games as well as for the serious uses, So it is necessary to include the reviews. However, it seems that the serious side of the ST is becoming more impor- tant to most readers, so you'll see that addressed in future issues.
IS THE STE OBSOLETE?
lam worried the STE is being killed off. | was recently burgled and my precious STE and all software taken. | have been replacing it a piece at a time, but have found shops that stocked STE products
LETTERS
as a norm a year ago now don't cater for the machine or carry very little stock, or only items ordered.
| have also been told that if | find a shop that has got ST books and particular STOS books then | should buy them now as many are out of print.
Is this an nationwide experience or just a North of Watford problem?
Some of the companies which have given me negative responses include Evesham Micros, Dillons, Virgin Megastores and Mr. Disk, all in Birmingham.
| hope the STE is not on its way out, and | look forward to your next issue.
T.R Hollywood, Birmingham
The STE is far from obselete. The answer to your worries though could be that with com- puters, technology moves on and that in the case with replacing most of your hardware , it could just be that those items are now discontinued in preference of more up-to-date technology. As to the books, you really need to go to a specialist publisher or visit one of the 16 bit shows where the ST is well repre- sented. However, if you can’t wait that long, why not try Foyles Bookshop on 071 437 5660.
CUT THE GAME PLAY
After the first couple of issues, | had to put pen to paper (oops, finger to keyboard) to say | welcome another ST magazine but | ques- tion whether you are positioning yourselves correctly. There has been a vacancy for another ST magazine for some time now, but the current magazines are suc- ceeding with an ‘appeal to all’ strategy which makes me doubt the market can support another identical magazine.
One point that really sticks in my throat is the continued positioning of the ST as a “games machine”, which negates the effort Atari UK put in to put the ST over as a seri- ous computer. Magazine readers showed, in a recent survey, that they are less interested in games with only 17% interested in seeing
games-related subjects in maga- zines. Clearly your huge coverage of games, all 35 pages of it, is not wanted.
The arrival of anew ST magazine is a great opportunity to fill the void in the serious side of the ST - don't let us down.
A few points from the May issue. | would like to hear where you get these 80030 and 80040 proces- sors as it seems odd since, as far as | am aware, Atari use a 68030 processor in the TT. Perhaps you had better get your facts right before you declare a ‘World Exclusive’ that has been ‘exclu- sive’ in no fewer than two other ST magazines. Going on to your review of bubble jet printers, as | am the proud owner of a Canon BJ10E, | know that the print qual- ity is much better than printed in the magazine. The choice of paper is quite important for inkjet print- ers but it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Philip Taunton, Bath.
Well, let’s try to address your points in order:
* 1 As to our games coverage, in this issue there are 28 pages of coverage total just over 20% of our total. I think that is an acceptable level of coverage, especially as I’ve yet to find anyone who hasn't ever played a@ game on the ST. Also, why if there is no little interest in games do many games (even costing up to £30), sell more seerts than comparable serious software?
* 2 You are quite right about the misnamed chips. This was due to thinking about PC chips (80386 and 80486) whilst writ- ing about ST chips. The article WAS however a world exclusive - I know, I was in Germany when the machine was first unveiled in Hanover and I was the ONLY representative of the British Press. Where the other ‘exclusives’ came from is any- body’s guess.
* 3 Unfortunately, once printed, the quality of the original print-
out can become distorted slightly but all the shots are subject to the same process and the print outs are not meant to be used for direct comparison.
WITHER THE FALCON?
Over the past several months, | have read with some interest con- flicting stories about the emergence of the Falcon com- puter. It seems to me that various magazines have all relayed differ- ing accounts of what the hardware specifications are, when it will be released and what price it will be. | am led to believe by the variety of answers to these questions that every ST magazine each made up their own facts which they have unleashed with a certain tabloid- like zeal for inaccuracy and contempt for the facts.
Whilst | understand the need for everyone to be first with the news, there is an underlying lead for peo- ple to have the facts and not be confused by each magazine giving its own version of the truth. Robert Caulderwell, Great Chew, Glos.
There certainly has been some conflicting stories about the Falcon but I feel that this is really down to the source of the information and how many times the information has been passed on (a little like a jour- nalistic version of Chinese whispers). Bulletin boards are always rife with news which unless followed up properly, can almost guarantee some inaccu- racy. However, whilst I can’t comment on other reports of the Falcon, I can say that ST Review's coverage of the machine was from the horse’s mouth and compiled after extensive interview's with Bill Rehbok, Atari US’ Development manager and Dr. Hans Riedl the Head of Marketing for Atari Germany, at the show in Hanover.
DISK DOUBLING
First off I'd just like to say what an excellent read your magazine is. I'm no technical wizard with the ST, yet | have to say that even with
some of your more technical arti- cles, they are readable and | can actually learn things about the ST that | never knew. In fact, after reading your article in issue one on upgrades, | actually sent off for the upgrade board for my STFM and fitted it (fairly) easily. But whilst the content of the magazine is excel- lent, | still feel that your cover disk is not yet up to scratch although issue three was far improved.
| have to admit that the cover disks do influence which magazine | buy so it’s always a problem to choose between you and Format.
Is it not possible to put something onto the disk that is less to do with games and is more commercial. Something that has a more unique appeal than demo programs or spread sheets would be rather wel- come. Chris Johnston, Shropshire.
lronbridge
Well first off, when talking about technical issues we do try to speak to the everyone — the technical whizz kids and people who whilst not technical, would like to know a little more about their machine without being bombarded by jargon. This is why one of our subbing stages involves passing someone who doesn’t know the ST inside out. If they don’t understand then the copy’s written again. As to the coverdisks, we've taken note of your letter (along with the many hundred others that we've received and the result is on the front of this issue. Your contin- ued comments to us in this area should result in ST Review get- ting it right with all subsequent issues — guaranteeing us contin- ued success through giving you, the readers, what you want!
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
I'm putting pen to paper to tell your readers something of a cautionary tale. Two years ago | bought a sec- ond-hand 520 STE for a price that | thought was a steal. You see, it was in the beginning but as | Started to use the machine for something a little more compli- cated than just playing games, | became hungry for more memory.
Points of View
| bought some second-hand chips and plugged them in to fill the last of the banks with 256K SIMMs chips. Recently, | decided that | needed more memory yet but because | filled the vacant slots with quarter Meg chips, | now find that | have to get rid of all of the original chips as they are com- pletely useless once | upgrade. Is this a con or what?
Peter Tallington, Tunbridge, Kent. Well indeed you are quite cor- rect and the 2 x 256K upgrade path toa 1 Meg machine does cause this apparent wastage but strangely enough, you should be able to get some cash back on the boards by advertising them but get a free advert somewhere because secondhand these boards are only worth about ten to fifteen pounds a pair these days.
IF YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY AND WANT
TO SHARE IT
WITH ST OWN-
ERS
EVERYWHERE, THEN WHY NOT DROP US A LINE. THE SENDER OF
THE BEST LETTER
EACH MONTH
WILL RECEIVE £50 WORTH OF SOFTWARE AS EITHER TECHNI- CAL PROGRAMS
OR GAMES).
ST BUYER
CHARTS
We j he guideli k your choices about software, but what you AUC A MED L aS actually go out and buy is what decides
which programs are the best sellers. Here’s what your pockets say...
FULL-PRICE GAMES
OTHER UTILITIES LANGUAGES — TOP 5
National charts supplied by Microbyte.
aes] |
Sometimes it’s easy to assume that everyone knows all of the terms used when talking about the ST, but this is rarely the case. So, if you're still struggling, here are a few explained. . .
ACCESSORY
A program loaded into the ST on power-up, which can then be used whenever needed from the menu bar at the top of the main screen. Normally used when itis important to be able to perform functions from within other programs like looking at a clock or calendar, mak- ing notes on a notepad or formatting a disk.
BASIC
The Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code is the most common computer lan- guage. Available in various versions, it lets you instruct the computer to do a series of tasks so creating a program.
CARTRIDGE PORT
The ST has a port capable of hous- ing a cartridge, which is used for Gevices such as music samplers, clock cards and “dongles”, keys used for program protection pur- poses
DONGLE
A dongle is a ‘key’ used for soft- were protection. This system ellows you to back up the original orsk for safety purposes, but only rum the program when the dongle is present.
ERROR MESSAGES
A common occurrence on the ST. Not very well documented, error messages occur when something is wrong. It may not be a complete disaster; for example, an “out of memory” message may be cured by removing some accessories at boot-up.
FUNCTION KEYS
Aseries of keys along the top of the ST which can be programmed to provide necessary functions in par- ticular programs.
GEM
Stands for “GRAPHICS ENVIRON- MENT MANAGER”. The standard ST desktop, which uses a ‘WIMP’ (WINDOWS, ICONS, MOUSE, POINTER) method to make the ST user friendly!
HARD DISK
An alternative medium to floppy disks for storing programs and files. It has a larger capacity, and is faster than, the floppy drive built into your ST, but less portable and more expensive.
ICONS
The little pictures that depict pro- grams and files. The disk drives and trashcan on the desktop are examples of Icons.
JOYSTICK
A device for controlling movement on the screen, usually used for games playing.
K
Abbreviation for Kilo; used in com- puting to multiply a measure by 1024. For example, 1 Kilobyte is 1024 bytes.
LASER PRINTER
Fast, high quality printer which gives very good printing results. Uses laser technology.
MODEM
Abbreviation of MOdulator
ST Jargon Explained
DEModulator, a modem converts the digital signals of a computer into analogue signals which can be transferred down a telephone line.
NETWORKING
Connecting your ST to a friend's using a lead is a simple form of Networking. Using one machine to control or serve others.
OUTPUT
A term used to describe informa- tion sent to a printer or other device. For example, “The OUTPUT is sent to the printer”.
PAUSE
Used in games to give you a breather during manic action, or allowing you to answer the phone without losing the game!
QUIT
The command used by most pro- grams to exit.
ROM & RAM
ROM is Read Only Memory and cannot easily be erased. Used for the operating system and in car- tridges where speed of access is important.
RAM is Random Access Memory and is where the computer tem- porarily stores information. This is wiped clean when the computer is switched off.
SAVE GAME
This option allows you to restart a game where you left off. Prevents the tedious job of running through from the beginning.
TRACKBALL
An alternative to the mouse. See our review on page 115.
USER
That's you!
VERSION
Programs are updated and improved all of the time. Look for the latest version number.
WORD PROCESSING
The equivalent of a typewriter on the ST. Allows you to lay out your letters and make necessary edits before printing.
X-CONTROL
Atari's new configurable Control Panel. Allows you to edit the envi- ronment for comfort in terms of colour, mouse response, keyclicks, bell and other options. This panel is able to configure other programs using files called CPXs.
Y/ZMODEM
Protocols used to transfer files down a telephone line via a modem.
RAMDISK
On our cover disks, you'll have noticed that we use a ramdisk, This is to make your life a bit eas- ier when you arede-compacting programs. The reason why we use this method is so that we can make the disks even better value by putting more programs on them.
A Ramdisk works by giving an area of RAM the characteristics of a disk drive. The one on our disk gives you a 350 Kilobyte ramdisk and calls it drive P. You can use it as a normal disk drive, but you won't have much mem- ory left to run any programs in its current form (about 15k left on a 520 ST). The important thing to remember is that any- thing in the ramdisk will be lost when the power is turned off, so you must copy what you need onto another disk BEFORE YOU SWITCH OFF!
When you boot up our cover disks, they will automatically set up the ramdisk. To stop this happening, simply delete the AUTO folder on the disk, and it will run as normal
ST BUYER
Wherever there is controversy, there will always be opin- ions. And this is the place to air them. One point of view against another. Then we can let the readers decide...
Amanda Lipman has been using the ST for two years, working from home as a self- employed publisher using word processors and DTP. She has learnt about the ST whilst ‘on the job’ and from humble beginnings now runs a successful small business.
| originally bought my ST back in 1979 to use as a word pro- cessor and for games for my youngster. As time went on, my fledgling business grew and | was forced to upgrade the whole system. Unfortunately, the amount of time, effort and money that | was forced to spend in sorting out compatibil- s increased at an alarming rate. | first encountered when | had to run newer, more sophisticated pro-
i so | started to upgrade the machine's software the shop that ! bought the machine from (a t multiple) wasc pletely useless. They constantly
i the machine to work and these problems have cost ney. The machine | originally bought is now
e, having upgraded the keyboard (I’m a touch
up to four Megs and swapped a
laser after having finally upgraded to a DTP pack-
| feel bitter about now that ! have a reasonable ge of the machine, is why are there so many differ- versions of the machine? Should it be fair that a product and then suddenly change
at newer programs have difficulty
is it that with each new addition that |
et another software patch in order to make it tively? It's probably all down to the shop that
ne "m very happy with the system that
t would have been nice to have had
IF YOU HAVE AN OPINION THAT YOU WANT AIRED, THEN DROP US A LINE AT: OPINION, ST REVIEW, PRIORY COURT, 30-32 FARRINGDON LANE, LONDON EC1R 3AU
Vic Lennard has been working with the ST for over five years as a freelance writer, a publisher and a musician. And as ST Review's Technical Editor, there are few aspects of the ST that take him unawares,
CHANGES, CHANGES. . .
All operating systems undergo change to constantly improve the features available to the user.
The ST's operating system has been changed many times - at least six at last count. Why? Two reasons; to fix errors, or bugs, and to add new features. In TOS 1.0 and 1.02, the version used in most of the STF and STFM models, there were a whole host of bugs. These included the 40 folder prob- lem, where if you opened more than 40 folders in the course of a session the ST crashed, and the media change defect where the ST crashed if two consecutive errors occurred when attempting to write to a disk. The advent of “Rainbow” TOS, or TOS 1.04, solved both of these and added various new features, including faster hard drive access, the ability to move files, and a better file selector. Atari always claimed that if developers followed their guidelines, programs would work perfectly well. Unfortunately, the guidelines were very wide at the outset and Atari's support for developers of ST software left a lot to be desired; the STE appeared before developers had the full information on the machine - so many serious programs and games failed to run. Thanks to Alistair Bodin at Atari (UK), support is now much better.
There are still problems: the STE TOS version was updated to 1.62 to fix various bugs and if you have been working with an ST for the past two years, you may have fallen foul of this changeover. The forthcoming Falcon 030 has been previewed to both programmers and journalists in the UK and compat- ibility problems have been checked very early in the development of the machine. There are bound to be teething problems, but let’s hope that we never have to go down a similar path to the ST
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We are delighted to announce that, following an exclusive agreement with Kuma Computers Ltd, we have taken over the distribution, support and development of their popular Atari ST/TT products. Existing Kuma customers should write to us or call us for details of our support schemes and information on our plans for the future of Kuma software.
At the moment we have the K-Spread 4 spreadsheet and K-Word word processor available (see our order form on the right).
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